In the garden this week, many people are wondering why their vegetables, like tomatoes and melons, have not set much fruit. Also, why are they not ripening evenly? Why are the melons not sweet? Why do I have hollow areas in my cucumber? Do not take it personally because when it gets above 90 degrees, things do not go the way you want them to. Plants do not set fruit well, the taste may be different from what you expect, and even if the soil is moist, water uptake is reduced. It will cool down next week.
Early blight in tomatoes is prevalent now. A fungicide spray to protect the affected leaves helps. Also, remove the affected leaves to reduce the spread of the disease. See what varieties are more susceptible and try resistant varieties like Defiant.
Another fungus coming into play is powdery mildew. This fungus looks like someone sprinkled talcum powder on the leaves. You see it especially on lilacs and plants in the shade. Sometimes a good spray with water from the hose will wash a lot of it off. Use a fungicide in the garden and flowerbed since these plants are more prone to suffering from reduced photosynthesis and reduced vigor.
Someone took a picture of a “pretty spider” and wanted to identify it. After coming to again, I realized it is a juvenile black widow. After a couple of molts, it will get the famous hourglass on its abdomen. She discovered it in an unused, older storage shed.
Sometimes you get twin fruit like tomatoes and squash. This is just flower biology, and you can still use it.
Weeds popping up this week are purslane and prostate spurge. Hoe these out to prevent seeds. With purslane, remove them because the segments will root down again.