Wichita gardener’s almanac for July 30, 2016

Last weekend to fertilize roses — Be sure to fertilize your roses for the last time of the season this weekend. You can fertilize lightly a bit later for late flowers, but normal fertilization will put on growth that could get damaged when the weather turns cold.

Grow sweeter cucumbers — A variety of factors can cause a cucumber to be bitter, Ward Upham writes in this week’s Horticulture 2016 newsletter. Usually just the stem end is bitter, and most of the bitternness is confined to the skin or just under the skin, Upham says, so try cutting off the ends and skin to salvage a bitter cucumber.

When growing cucumbers, go for newer varieties, which are often less bitter, and be sure to provide the following, Upham says:

▪ Well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. “Plenty of organic matter also helps.”

▪ Mulch. This holds in moisture and helps keep roots cool.

▪ Water, especially during the fruiting season.

▪ Scouting for diseases and insects and treating them.

In another cucumber matter, extension agent Rebecca McMahon says that cucumbers in containers get aphids much worse than cucumbers grown in the ground.

Pick when the melon is ripe — Here are some pointers from Upham for telling when a melon is ready to pick:

▪ Muskmelons (including cantaloupes). Put a little pressure where the vine attaches to the fruit. If the melon is ripe, it will release or “slip” from the vine. If shopping for one of these melons, look for one that has a clean, dish-shaped scar and a sweet, musky fragrance at room temperature.

▪ Watermelons. The tendril that attaches to the melon at the same point as the vine turns dry and brown. On some varieties, it only needs to be turning brown. The surface also develops a roughness near the base (sometimes called sugar bumps), along with a yellow color on the spot where the melon touched the ground.

▪ Honeydew melons. They become soft on the flower end of the fruit, the opposite of the stem end. The “flower end” is the end opposite where the stem attaches. They also should change to a cream or yellowish color according to the variety.

Planting calendar — Snap beans, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, endive, cauliflower, kale, beets.

Garden events

“Growing a Fall Salad Garden” — The last gardening class of the season at the Extension Center will be on growing a fall salad garden, from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Extension Education Center, 7001 W. 21st St. The cost is $5. Register at www.sedgwick.k-state.edu or pay at the door.

Carnations and Caramel Apples — That’s the theme of the next Tuesdays on the Terrace at Botanica. En Power & Light will perform, and food and drinks will be for sale from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Picnics also are welcome. Admission is $10, $5 for members.

Talk on how to use fresh herbs — Lisa LaRue, master gardener and president of the Herb Society of South Central Kansas, will be at Botanica on Wednesday to talk about how to cook with and preserve herbs from the garden. She’ll also lead a tour of the Sally Stone Sensory Garden at Botanica. The lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission or membership. Lunch is available for $8 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Annie Calovich

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for July 30, 2016."