Welcome back to Tuesdays in the Garden! August can become a tricky time for gardeners. It's easy to fall into the late summer slump, feeling unsure of what to do next other than weed and wait. Things like garden pests and intruders can really get you down. Losings plants to disease or even severe weather can start to make you feel frustrated. Then, those dreaded feelings of failure creep in. You start to realize how long it will be until next summer when you can start all over again. It can be hard to see past all of your crops that flopped and enjoy everything you accomplished during the season. The good news is August is the perfect time to renovate and reinvigorate! All you need is some seeds, a shovel and a little motivation! You just have to remind yourself that there are a bunch of crops that love cool weather, and actually do better in it! I'm inspired, and want to remind you that it's not to late to get out there and continue to grow!

The downside of gardening. When a ripening cherry tomato is munched and tossed aside by a chipmunk.

I love gardening, but I have to admit I get disillusioned by things that are out of my control. This year, I had trouble with raccoons digging up the bulbs I spent hours planting. I found out they are extremely attracted to the crab fertilizer I used. I spent so much time trying to figure out ways to keep those bulbs in the ground. I ended up replanting them more than once and turning to cloches for some extra help. After that, I had a giant breech in my vegetable garden security. A groundhog that set up a home in my backyard found a way to tunnel under my old chicken wire fence. He feasted on bush beans, lettuce, squash, morning glories and even bit the tops off my peanut plants. I was heartbroken to see all of the devastation he caused in such a small amount of time. I also have a chipmunk that made a home in my vegetable garden. No matter how many times I fill in the tunnel he dug in my raised bed, he comes right back and makes it again. He enjoys the protection of my fenced in garden. I see him bury his peanuts and seeds in different places and scattering them inside different protected containers. I've seen him taking a nap inside his small tunnel/home. I also see the remnants of all the strawberries and tomatoes he steals, eats, then tosses aside for me to find.

Tiny, bright yellow Oleander aphids infesting my healthy swamp milkweed plants. You can barely see them, but they are there causing all sorts of problems!

It's killed me to see the damage aphids and lily beetles have caused this year. I've tried different methods to get rid of pests, but it's hard to implement them everywhere in your yard. You protect one plant, then they always find another. We are also experiencing one of the worst droughts I've ever seen here in New England. We are at the point where no watering of lawns and gardens is allowed until the ban is lifted. To hear this is a gardeners worst nightmare. My rain barrel is empty and my lawn is pretty much nonexistent. It is brown, dry and crunches under my feet when I walk on it. Containers are struggling, and healthy soil is turning into dust. All of this can really take its toll, and losing plants due to the lack of water can make you feel guilty and sad. I have to remember to give myself a break and constantly remind myself I'm doing the best I can with the circumstances I've been given. It's tough to remember that any amount of work done no matter how small, will help your garden be better than it was before. No effort you put in is for nothing, and it all does pays off!