Tom Carey: Summer vacation from your garden

Although we can grow our gardens year-round here in Central Florida, a few of us would happily tag summer with the “off-season” moniker. Many of the crops that form the basis of our North American cuisine do not thrive, let alone survive, through the weather conditions of the next several months. Don’t get me wrong, I love the food we harvest during the summer season: okra, Malabar spinach, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, yard-long beans and almost any pepper variety other that bell. But for many of the crops we know and love, it is time to buck the trend of the rest of our continental cousins and take a summer vacation from gardening.

If you plan to forgo agricultural endeavors as it gets hot and humid, you will need to circumvent the inevitable weed invasion. Open garden space left unattended will be overwhelmed by invasive or seed-spreading weeds, which can become a permanent scourge. Recovery from jungle-like conditions in time for autumn planting is never pleasant. Cover the entire garden with multiple layers of mulching materials, starting with cardboard. Generously spread thick piles of mulch that will smother existing weeds and choke sprouting seeds. Lawn trimmings, tree leaves, palm fronds and any other locally convenient mulching materials will control unwanted plant growth and be well on their way to becoming compost for this autumn’s soil improvement chores. Other covers include carpet remnants, black or clear UV resistant plastic sheeting, and weed block fabric.

Even with the expected rain, a few days above 95 degrees can wither crops in the ground or specimens in containers. Create a zone for plants with similar irrigation needs and hook up a hose-connected timer and sprinkler. This simple automation will at least keep plants alive, limiting our time commitment to critical care triage. Hose timers have both automatic-scheduled functions and a manual timer. I use the manual mode, running a sprinkler zone for a selected duration when the lack of rain becomes an issue. In August, when we start greenhouse seedlings for transplants, an automated irrigation system is necessary to even consider a three-day weekend.

Don’t forsake your collection of seeds during the summer. I’ve seen seed storage on a garage shelf near the door, open to direct sun and wind-driven rain. At a minimum, keep your packets organized in a sealed plastic box in temperature-moderated living space. With everything at arm’s length, bask in the air conditioning while casually perusing the seed catalogs for next season’s planting and enjoy your summer vacation.

Tom Carey is the owner of Sundew Gardens, a you-pick gardening business in Oviedo. Visit the Sundew Gardens Facebook page.