Hi Everyone:

August brings the dog days of summer where everyone tends to slow down. Your garden should be pretty much on auto-pilot with the only real chores being the watering of plants and cutting of flowers or harvesting vegetables.

This month's issue covers a bit more on Japanese beetles -- specifically pictures of them and of the damage so you can learn to spot and destroy them -- as well as tomato hornworms and a question in the mailbag about the best fertilizer to use in the garden.

I also have a sad note to add. My wonderful kitty, Rachel (you saw her picture in the June issue) suffered a stroke on July 20 and passed away. She was my garden buddy, always tagging along and stretching out in the pea pebbles nearby. She was one of a trio of abandoned kittens I adopted in 1991 and her siblings went on to the Rainbow Bridge before her. I'll miss her desperately and wish her Godspeed, little girl.

I hope you have the same kind of relationship with your pets as I did with Rachel and do with my two Golden retrievers, Emma and Brinkley.

In last month's issue we explored Japanese beetles and how damaging they can be. These critters love to attack roses, zinnias, pepper plants, and other tasty treats.

I've now got some photos from my garden so you can see what they look like as well as how to spot the damage.

As you can see from the two pictures above, Japanese beetle damage looks like someone has tatted some lace. They chew through leaves so quickly that you could lose a whole plant overnight.

The beetle itself is pretty easy to identify and stomp out. Although they do fly, they aren't the fastest insect on Earth and, so, it's relatively easy to drop them into a dish of soapy water.

I usually keep a plastic container outside all summer and dump out the dead beetles in it every few days then refill with soapy water.

As I said in the July issue, I'm not a huge fan of the beetle traps because I think they attract more than they capture and I feel a sense of dominion over the Japanese beetle if I can control them organically.

There aren't a lot of critters that tick me off but the tomato hornworm sure does.

Any gardener who grows tomatoes has had to contend with tomato hornworms. They are very extra-terrestrial looking with a huge dark horn -- hence, the name! -- on the  ends of their bodies.

They're also the best disguised insect I've ever seen. They can decimate a tomato crop in a matter of days. Look for telltale signs on your plants: nuggets of poop the size of a mouse turd and chewed up tomatoes.

Here are some pictures so you'll be able to scope out these destructive little beasts:

This will probably sound gross but the best way to get rid of these guys is to pick them off the plant and squish them with your foot. You'll get green slime oozing everywhere but they'll be dead.

The tomato hornworm starts its life as a brown and gold moth. Eggs are laid on the undersides of tomato leaves in late spring and hatch 6-8 days later.

When fully grown, the larva pupate in the soil in the fall and then emerge as a moth in the spring.

This month we have a question from Darlene T.:

"I enjoy reading and learning from your site.  My question is what is the best fertilizer to use in the veggie and flowering and non~flowering garden?  I see some yards that their plants are 'alive & vibrant' and so beautiful.  Mine are just 'ho~hum' looking.  I also would like to know how often to fertilize the gardens?  I am mulching also to help with the summer heat, Iknow that helps alot. Thank you in advance for any help you give."

Thanks for your great question, Darlene! There are lots of fertilizers out there, both natural and not so natural. Lately, I've been using Miracle-Gro potting mix which contains a timed-release fertilizer that feeds up to 3 months.

If you can find something that is a timed-release that will take some of the guesswork out of how often to feed. There are some good liquid fertilizers from companies like Schultz, Peters and Miracle-Gro which you can apply to your plants with a hose.

You can also create your own fertilizer from compost:

Ingredients

• Don't forget to take care of your feet and hands during the hot summer gardening months. Using a mild abrasive scrub can help slough off dead skin from dry hands and feet. Then apply a rich emollient cream to keep them soft. I like gardener's hand repair and gardener's hand scrub, both from Mangiacotti Florals, www.mflorals.com.
• Start looking toward fall and think about which plants need to be divided and transplanted. Large hostas and daylilies are great candidates for division - sometimes you can get another dozen plants from one large plant. That's a great and frugal way to fill out any garden.
• Start a fall crop of lettuces, radishes and carrots.
• If the price of spring blooming bulbs in catalogs is getting you down, take heart. You can buy bagfuls of bulbs at stores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe's for less and still have spectacular color.

Well, that's a full plate for this month! Keep cool, enjoy those fresh tomato sandwiches on soft white bread with mayo, salt and pepper, and kick back and relax. It's just too hot to do much else.

See you in September!

Yours for a more bountiful garden,


Victoria
The Frugal Gardener