Sandy Spring Gardener
Summer Gardening in Full Swing: Time to Enjoy
The July 1925 Sandy Spring Horticultural Society meeting was held at historic Edgewood, the home of Robert M. Stabler and Hannah Taylor who were married in 1858. Robert and his extremely competent wife were both skilled in all farms, garden and household practices and economies and they became examples to be followed.
Edgewood mid-1800’s courtesy of Sandy Spring Museum Digital Archives
The homestead is just a quarter mile east of Drayton, the road leading to Spencerville. Its name was derived from a tract of mature hardwood timber on the property. The gardens and orchards at Edgewood were models of production and beauty. Thomas J. Lea of Springdale and Roger B. Farquhar of Rock Spring both wrote of visiting Edgewood in those years, and they expressed it saying, ‘we ate large quantities of delicious peaches.’ The peach orchard there was probably one of the first and evidently the best in the community at the time.”
The July 7th, 1925, meeting minutes reflect: “On July 7, we met at beautiful old Edgewood once more. As always, we were greeted on the lawn with a sincere welcome. The table for the vegetables was arranged on the lawn, while the flowers were on the porch. Upon arrival, even the most disinterested (if there be such a person) could not but imbibe the spirit of horticulture. “
“Cousin Hellen Hallowell read the first article. She told of a remedy for the cabbage bugs that are the dread of every housewife. She also read an article asking people to leave the picnic grounds as they found them. You select the spot for its beauty and restfulness, and litter and destruction do not enhance the beauty. “
“Another article told us that until very recently Garrett County has had no Chesnutt blight, however now, they also have been struck.” In the 1920’s, the chestnut blight, caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, devastated American chestnut trees across the eastern United Stated. With the fungus Introduced from Asia in the early 1900’s, the blight spread rapidly, killing millions of trees and altering forest ecosystems. By the 1920’s, it had virtually wiped-out mature chestnuts that had once been a dominant and economically vital species in eastern hardwood forests. The loss impacted wildlife, timber industries and rural communities that relied on the trees for food and income. “Cousin Albert Stabler advised the planting of pecan and English walnut trees to replace the chestnuts that are fast becoming extinct.”
“Forethought (what we should do in the garden this month) told us to enrich flower soil again; liquid manure being the best thing, (liquid manure is a type of fertilizer made primarily from animal waste like cow or pig manure that is in a liquid or slurry form). Sow seed of perennials now before they dry out so much. Sow seed rather lavishly for fall planting.”
By mid-July, our gardens are now in full swing, with vegetables ripening, flowers blooming and plenty of tasks to keep things healthy and productive. One of the top priorities now is watering and mulching. With summer heat setting in, consistent moisture is crucial especially for tomatoes, cucumbers and other fruiting crops. Deep watering two to three times a week is better than daily shallow watering. Mulch around plants with straw, shredded leaves, or bark to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Harvesting is another key task. Pick vegetable like beans, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes regularly to encourage continued production. It’s also a great time to start planning and planting a fall vegetable garden. You can begin sowing seeds of cool season crops like carrots, beets, kale, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts indoor or directly in the garden. For succession planning, consider a second round of bush beans, zucchini or even short season corn varieties.
Keep an eye out for pests and diseases that are often most active now. Tomato hornworms (large sphinx moths), Japanese beetles and squash bugs (Anasa) are common in this region during July. Handpick pests when possible and use organic or integrated pest management (IPM) techniques to minimize damage. Also, be sure to prune and stake vining crops like tomatoes and cucumbers to improve air circulation and reduce the chance of fungal infection.
Finally, July is a good month to deadhead flowers to encourage more blooms and to tidy up perennials. Divide and replace iris or daylilies if they’ve become overcrowded. And don’t forget to take a few minutes to simply enjoy your garden—it’s at its peak of beauty and productivity now.
Questions.
“What is the cause of scarcity of plant enemies this year? No one could offer a solution, although everyone agreed that there were much less than usual. The milkweed seems to be a haven for the rose bug and steely beetle. Have any housekeepers present used the red Dakota potato? Some have used and liked very much.”
“Cousin Mary Stabler called the attention of the horticultural to her arborvitae, that had been in very bad condition in the spring. At an early spring meeting she asked us what to do and Cousin Helen Hallowell and Mr. Thomas recommended a treatment that proved to be just the right thing.”
“What is good for black spot of roses? Cousin Ellen recommended Pomo Dust, that the Niagara Sprayer Company puts out (based in Middleport, New York.) It is 90% very fine Sulphur and 10% arsenate of lead.”
“After appointing the readers for the August meeting that will be at the Maples on August 4th, we adjourned to more closely inspect that garden that we had been admiring from a distance all during the meeting. Father called attention to a stalk of the giant Russian sweet corn which he had brought, and our attention was then directed to the Edgewood crop of the same variety. One far more readily believes our old familiar Jack and the bean stalk after seeing this amazing corn. There is a great deal of speculation about it, some of our members doubting whether it is really a sweet corn. The garden was in beautiful condition, as were the entire grounds. And I think those of us who walked down to see Cousin Lilly’s chickens felt awfully repaid for the heat.”
With our summer gardens in full swing, take the time to enjoy? Planning for next year is right around the corner.