Hot time in the summer

This morning, I got up early to work on the garden.  Even though it was a Sunday, I had to get up early due to the weather in our area.  I got up at 6:00 AM to do some maintenance and to water down my garden.  It was 75 degrees with a heat index of 84.  It was sticky to say the least.
And that's what I wanted to comment on today.  When you hit the middle of July, you have to contend with heat, humidity and periods of insufficient rain much like today.  This is the time that you need to stay with the program and guard all your work to date from mid summer blues.  It's a time to redouble your efforts and make sure you stay tuned to the basics.
The first item to watch is watering.  This is where the conditioning of your soil comes into play.  If your soil does not retain water easily, you will then have to water more frequently.  And when you do water, you will need to make sure you soak the soil deeply to reach the root zone.
At the point we are now, the time to apply any last application of fertilizer if you are not doing any fall seasons crops is now.  After this point, your main concern is getting the vegetables that are set to ripen and not to get the plants to grow anymore.
Mainly, at this point, you need to concentrate on picking your vegetables to insure you get every vegetable you deserve.  Following these tips will help ensure you take the crops to your dinner table. Afterall, that's the payoff for all your hard work.