In your vegetable gardens:

A lot of work in the garden this month is maintenance- deadheading, weeding and watering.

Stake the vines and veggies as needed.

Mulch or top dress around vegetables to prevent weeds and conserve moisture.

Plant additional vegetable seedlings.

Fertilize your plants.

Keeping pests out of your garden:

Give your plants room to breathe. Tightly packed plants are very inviting to feeding insects that enjoy both the shelter from the heat and the cover from predators.

Water your plants in the morning. They will be well hydrated when the hottest part of the day comes around and less apt to wilt and become stressed, making them less appealing to insect pests.

Make your garden welcoming to animals that feast on insects. Frogs and toads top that list. Sometimes all it takes to invite them is a bowl of water.

Not every insect comes to your vegetable garden to chow down on your harvest. Some are carnivores who will quickly reduce any population of pests the way no pesticide spray could. For example ladybugs, praying mantis, swamp beetles and dragonflies.

Stay on top of your harvest! Fruits falling off the plants and plopping to the ground are an easy mark for insects. And any overripe fruit or vegetable still clinging to the plant tends to shift the whole plant into decline, and weak plants are the first ones that insects target.