Get the Most out of Your Summer Garden

Summer is upon us, the days are long and the green thumbed have already laid out their gardens, but there's plenty to do to keep heat, drought and pests at bay.

To start, take steps to keep your garden full of flowers, fruit and vegetables well into fall. Every two weeks, plant sweet corn seeds or other crops that require a fixed number of days between planting and harvest. Sunflowers, summer squash, lima beans, pole beans and field peas will all fit the bill. In regions with milder weather, you'll have blooms through mid-November.

Next, put in tomatoes. Fresh from garden, they'll spoil you for their flavorless, store-bought relatives. When adding tomato plants, bury them deeply to ensure that they develop strong roots. And, if you know that your soil is low in calcium, add two tablespoons of dolomitic lime as you plant (for soil testing, see "Gardeners, Get Ready!"). This and keeping the earth evenly moist can help reduce the occurrence of blossom end rot. Starting with healthy soil and vigorous plants goes a long way to keeping insect and disease problems to a minimum.

More summer tips:

• Harvest your fresh herbs like basil on a regular basis and pinch out flowers as they bud to encourage healthier foliage.

• Don't foist your surplus zucchini on friends and relatives; harvest them, instead, when they're younger and smaller. They'll be more tender, too.

• To save space, you can train certain vegetables like scarlet runner beans to grow on a trellis. Large bamboo stakes positioned to form a teepee will quickly be covered with handsome edible vines.

Watch Your Watering

Since many areas face water restrictions, conserve by mulching your garden with straw, pinestraw, shredded leaves or newspaper. The layer of mulch will help retain soil moisture and reduce weed infestations. Rather than relying on spraying, use soaker hoses to bring water to roots where it's needed (for soakers made from recycled tires, see Fiskar's at www.hardwarestore.com or Aquapore at www.accentshopping.com).

Where drought restrictions are more severe, gray water can help keep your garden alive, though it's not recommended for edible plants. Bring a bucket in the shower with you to catch the excess and capture water from the discharge hose of your laundry machine when you wash clothes (see the Arizona Department of Enviromental Protection's standards for gray water best management practices). A rain barrel is another way to collect and save water for dry times; see the 57-gallon, recycled plastic Urban Rain Barrel ($126.95; www.planetnatural.com).