During one week this June, our area received 8.5” of rain in just seven days! How does your garden look? Did it float away or are there healthy green plants and a bountiful harvest on the horizon?

Photo by Cindy Bowers

Gardening is all about hard work, determination and reaping a great harvest throughout the summer and fall. But (there’s always a ‘but’!), with all the recent moisture and temperatures sharply rising, an environment for disease is created. Disease in the root, stem or fruit (botanically speaking) can ruin months of hard work and reduce your harvest.

Photo by Cindy Bowers

But, wait! Don’t run to the nearest garden center and purchase fungicides – let’s talk about best management practices as a first line of defense.

1. Purchase plants bred for disease resistance. If you did not this year, consider it for 2016.
2. Prune to raise the lower limbs on tomato plants a foot off the ground; this simple practice increases air circulation around and under your plants and accelerates drying time of foliage and fruit, reducing moisture that diseases depend on for development.
3. Remove any old leaves, over-ripe fruit, etc.
4. Any disease-infected parts of plants must be removed and taken away from the garden area completely. Important note:  If your hands and tools contact diseased plants you will unknowingly spread disease throughout your garden. Good hand and tool hygiene is VERY important. Tools can be cleaned using a 10 percent bleach solution. Allow five minutes of soaking time and then rinse. Tools should be sanitized between use from plant to plant.
5. For extra precaution you can consider a neem oil extract to spray on susceptible plants. This oil suffocates existing disease/spores and insects/eggs and is labeled for organic gardening use.  Always read the entire label and follow directions.

We have received copious amounts of rain in the St. Louis area this month. If you have not spent time working on your garden lately, weeds are growing and out-pacing your vegetable plant growth. Set aside some weeding time this weekend and bring your beautiful garden back to life!

Photo by Anthony Knipp