Mon, 21 Jun 2004 
 
Summer arrived officially this week, although summery weather has been 
here for awhile. The vegetable garden is growing fast. We have been 
harvesting snow peas from our garden for about a month now. The 
shelling 
peas are ready to pick now, too. The first heads from the broccoli 
plants were exceptionally big this year. Once the heads are harvested 
the plants will produce lots of smaller florets to pick for several 
more 
weeks.
 
The warm weather forced us to harvest the remaining lettuce plants. The 
heat causes the lettuce plants to bolt to seed. When that starts their 
flavor becomes bitter. We plan to sow more lettuce seed under the shade 
of the pole beans in a couple of weeks.
 
Tomato and pepper plants have started to set fruits. Once the fruit is 
set an application of fertilizer of compost can be side-dressed around 
the plants. Compost tea can be applied as an alternative. The tea can 
be 
sprinkled over the plants. The benefits are added disease resistance as 
well as feeding. To make the tea put a shovel full of compost in some 
cheesecloth and place it into a bucket of water. Let the tea steep for 
a 
couple of days outside. Dilute the resulting brew to the color of weak 
tea and then use on plants.
 
Summer squash and cucumbers will be starting to fruit soon as well. 
These plants can be side-dressed when their vines start to run. Harvest 
squash and cucumbers when they are small for the best flavor.
 
When the early crops such as spinach, lettuce, peas and broccoli are 
finished, replace them with another crop. Remove the finished plants 
and 
amend the space with fertilizer or compost. A late planting of squash, 
cucumbers or beans can fill the space. Or leave the space until 
mid-July 
and plant broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts for fall harvest.
 
The perennial garden is ahead of schedule due to the warm spring. Keep 
the finished flowers deadheaded to encourage more bloom. Chrysanthemums 
and asters should be pinched back before early July. Pinching keeps the 
plants from getting tall and leggy; the result is a more compact plant 
with lots of flowers.
 
Summer is the bloom time for one of the most popular perennials- the 
daylilies. The wild orange daylily is commonly found along the 
roadsides 
in New Jersey. It is also available from garden centers under the name 
“Fulva”.
 
Daylilies (botanical name Hemerocallis) provide great color in the 
garden throughout the summer months. Many gardeners consider them to be 
the backbone of the summer garden. They make a good groundcover, the 
clumps spreading each year. The plants can go 4-5 years before needing 
to be divided. Daylilies are good companions with daffodils. As the 
daffodil foliage is fading, the daylilies grow and fill the space.
 
The daylily gets its name from the fact that each individual flower 
lasts for only one day. Removing the finished blooms extends the 
plant’s 
flowering. The plants don’t require much water and will grow in 
ordinary 
soil.
 
There are many daylily varieties available today in a wide range of 
colors: yellow, gold, apricot, orange, pink, and red to name a few. 
Today’s hybrids are bred for vigor, long bloom, showiness, pest 
resistance, and hardiness. The variety Stella D’oro is widely known and 
commonly used because of its compact size and re-blooming habit. It 
even 
grows well in containers. But there are two series of hybrid daylilies 
that are also excellent.
 
“Happy-Ever-Appster” brand daylilies start blooming in early summer and 
continue into fall. All have terrific color and large bloom size. The 
name is derived from the man who developed the plants-Dr. Darrel Apps. 
Dr. Apps is a geneticist and hybridizer who has his daylily breeding 
program here in New Jersey. His other series of special hybrids are 
named “Trophytaker”. These plants are prolific bloomers the second year 
after planting, hardy, and not prone to pests. The foliage remains 
attractive till late in the season. The blooms are quite large, many 
with double flowers and vibrant colors. Some are also fragrant.
 
These newer daylilies are great choices for the busy gardener or the 
novice gardener. They give great results without much effort. And with 
all the color choices and variety of sizes there is a daylily for every 
garden.
 
Beth Nardone, botanist, is a resident of Hillsborough and is the 
Nursery 
Manager at the Belle Mead Co-Op. Questions and comments can be sent to 
bethtanical@patmedia.net