Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do the Week of Aug. 4

By Ron Kujawski

* Be sure your mower blade is sharp. That is especially important this summer, given the stress on lawns from drought and high heat. Mowing with a dull blade tends to shred grass and increases water loss from the plants.  

* Plant some peas for a fall harvest if you have leftover seed from spring plantings. Most pea varieties mature in about 70 days with a mid-summer planting, and can withstand early fall frosts. You may not get the same yield as with spring plantings, but you’ll get enough to give your pea-pickin’ family a rare fall treat of fresh peas.

* Sort through recently harvested and cured garlic bulbs. Select a few of the largest and healthiest-looking bulbs and set these aside for planting in October. Do not separate the individual cloves from the bulbs until just before planting.

* Leave potatoes in the ground for about a week after the plants have withered if planning to store the spuds for winter consumption. During this time, the potatoes will develop a thicker skin, which allows them to keep longer in storage. Once dug, let the potatoes dry for another week in a dark location. Afterwards, cull any damaged or decaying ones. Store the rest in a dark, cool corner of the basement. Do not store near apples or other fruit since ethylene produced by the fruit may induce the potatoes to sprout.                                                                             *

Because of the drought this summer, many tomatoes are not all cracked up to be what they should be, though many are cracked up. Huh? As tomatoes ripen, many will be showing concentric rings of cracks around the stem end of the fruit. Others may be showing deep vertical cracks progressing downward from the top of the fruit. These cracking problems are physiological; that is, they are not caused by fungi or any living organism. The primary cause of the cracking is uneven moisture levels in the soil. During a prolonged dry period, when soil moisture is deficient, the development of tomato fruit slows dramatically. When a sudden increase in soil moisture occurs, as a result of heavy rain or over-abundant watering, the tomato fruit expands rapidly, causing the skin of the fruit to split. I had a similar problem recently with a pair of pants after overindulging at dinner. As the splits heal, they leave scars in the form of radial or vertical cracks. If the splits do not heal quickly, the fruit may be invaded by disease organisms or by insects such as sap beetles. The degree and type of cracking vary somewhat with variety. Some varieties, such as Early Girl, Jet Star, and Mountain Pride, are resistant to cracking. However, the best way to prevent cracking is to water regularly through the growing season. By the way, tomatoes with cracks can be eaten if you cut around the cracks.

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.