1. Plant tomatoes, if you haven’t already done it. They will start producing in two to three months unless you buy larger plants that already have green tomatoes on them. Indeterminate types, such as Beefsteak, Better Boy, Early Girl and cherry tomatoes, bear through autumn and into winter, while determinate types basically produce all their fruit at about the same time, and then the plants die. Increase yields by adding a layer of organic mulch under the plants. All varieties do better with support, too.
2. You can help to keep down the number of mosquitoes this season by taking away their breeding grounds in your own yard. You may be surprised to find that mosquito larvae can live in anything that holds any amount of water. So be sure to check around the yard and empty or turn over cans, plastic containers, old tires, wheelbarrows, wading pools, saucers under plants and anything else that might hold open water. And be sure to clean clogged rain gutters, which can also become mosquito breeding factories.
3. To prevent wormy apples at harvest time, begin a consistent spray program now. Newly hatched codling moths lay eggs on immature fruits throughout summer. The larvae enter the fruits and ruin them. Spray leaves and fruits with carbaryl (liquid “Sevin”) or malathion every ten days during spring and summer.
4. Thin newly-formed grape clusters to get larger individual fruits instead of huge bunches of tiny grapes. Cut each cluster basically in half as soon as the little grapes begin to form. This way the vine puts more energy into the remaining grapes. They grow larger and have better quality.
5. We can still plant citrus, avocado and other tender fruiting plants for another month or so. In frost-free areas, this includes cherimoyas, guavas, mangos, and passion fruit vines. If you plant to grow your fruit trees in containers, be sure to choose dwarf types. Select actively growing plants with many strong branches, a smooth graft union, and deep green leaves. Whether you want your new tree in the ground or in a container, position it so the soil line on the trunk stays at the same level in the new location.
