Is your garden ready for summer?

Extreme summer is here with average temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees Celsius. When the mercury rises so high, your prime focus should be on protecting the already existing garden plants from the scorching heat & making your garden ready for the upcoming monsoon season.

Following are some important gardening activities to do in summer:

Soil solarization:

All the empty beds of winter flowering plants & vegetable plants should be exposed to the sun after digging. This is the best & cheapest method of soil sterilisation as the solar rays kill the soil borne pathogenic organisms. Also, do not forget to remove all the weeds from the soil & dispose them off by burning.
Click here to buy garden soil online in India.

Make a garden plan:

While heat is at its peak, you must start planning for the monsoon. The new garden season begins in June. Make a complete garden plan for the next year with accurate measurements. Pinpoint the areas for all garden features like Trees, Shrubs, Flower beds, Kitchen garden, etc.

Dig the pits:

Make appropriate sized pits for tree plantations. 1 x 1 x 1 m is average pit size for all types of fruiting and ornamental trees. Make smaller pits for small trees & shrubs. Fill the pits with good quality soil & manure and make them ready for plantation at the onset of rains.

Composting:

The most productive way of organic waste recycling is composting. Instead of burning or disposing off, the entire organic farmyard waste should be converted into rich compost.
Steps for Preparation of Compost:

• Make pit of 2 x 1 x 1 m (LBH) size in the higher corner of your garden. Expose it to the sun for 15 days.

• Apply 10% carbaryl at the base of a pit to avoid termites.

• Put a 20 cm layer of dry leaves followed by 3-5 cm of liquid cow-dung paste.

• Repeat these alternating layers of dry leaves & cow-dung paste till the pit is full.

• Thoroughly mix the whole content & put the final 10 cm layer of soil.

• Cover the pit with dry coconut leaves & leave it for the monsoon.

• The rich compost should be ready in 5-6 months.

Click here to learn easy composting techniques.

Take good care of your plants:

Indoor plants should be kept away from windows & balcony sunlight. Use 50% green shade net to roof the young & delicate plants. Increase the frequency of watering of the whole garden. Daily watering & weeding is required for outdoor shrubs, ground covers, lawns & kitchen garden. Read more about how to take of indoor plants.

Water. Water. Water:

Summer is the time to find authentic groundwater source. By getting proper permissions from local authorities; you can dig a borewell in your garden. The borewell can be a permanent & secure supply of fresh water for your garden plants. It is always recommended to use ground water for gardening purpose rather than river water or any other source.
Click here to buy watering tools online in India.

A collection of gardening material:

For the next gardening calendar year activities, all the essential material must be collected in the summer months only. Collect & store all the garden soil, Cow dung manure, Different types of Pots, fertilisers, pruning and cutting tools, hand tools, digging and raking tools, spray pumps, etc. before the rains start.