Pick Pick Pick

Hoping your harvests are bountiful! Photo by Zoe Richardson on Unsplash

This Week’s Sale: 20% off ALL plants* + bags of EarthMix® Garden™. 4P Annuals/Herbs 50% off continued!

We are well into one of the tastiest times of the year. Tomatoes, beans, corn, berries, and peaches are starting to ripen. Rain showers have been a welcome sight to many gardeners in the area. There is a flood watch in effect, so be mindful of any pockets of standing water as these are target rich environments for soil amending.

A few other reminders for fruiting plants — provide support to plants so laden with fruit it’s touching the ground. This prevents spoilage and disease from contact with the soil. Staying on top of daily harvests also ensures you’re getting the best quality while removing temptation from garden pests. Since you’re already outside picking, you might as well do a quick scouting round for bugs and disease.

If you haven’t grown something before, it can be difficult to know when they’re ready to pick. The incredibly helpful fruit & vegetable garden calendar from the UT Institute of Agriculture has a wonderful chart with tips on how to best time your harvests under this month’s section.

It’s also a good time to start considering what you want to grow in the Fall. While we haven’t received our new shipment yet, but it’s a great time to pull out your personal stash of seeds and make a plan. Check the dates to maturity as some plants, like pumpkins, can require 100 days to reach full growth.

Before we part, I must talk about a dish I had this week. I had the great fortune of dining at Folk with my family this past week. While every dish was spectacular, one small plate etched its way onto my heart forever. Nectarine, beet, feta, mint, and lime — oh my goodness. The flavor was a snapshot of the perfect summer day. If you haven’t dined with them, I highly recommend doing yourself the favor. You deserve it!

That’s it for this week, friends. Tune in Saturday mornings at 8 am for Gardening Inside Out. Follow along on Instagram for the Know Down. Queue up the podcast for your next adventure. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Happy Gardening,

Sara Bates

*Japanese Maples & houseplants are not included, sale pricing is for BatesRewards Members only, in store only through 7/16/26