Wednesdays and Saturdays: Farmers Market
100% Oklahoma produce and products.  Open every Wednesday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Greenhouse grown produce---soil grown and hydroponics, baked goods, orchids, salsas and relishes, herbal soaps, beeswax candles, fresh cut flowers and more.  John E. Kirkpatrick Horticulture Center, 400 N. Portland, OKC, OK. Find out what's fresh this week! 

This is a great time to begin saving money for an automatic sprinkler system.  In the meantime, it's very useful to purchase a water timer for your faucet.  The timer can be set to deliver water for a certain amount of time, saving you gallons of water as you water your parched surroundings.  Watering is a matter of choice; how lush do you want your gardens and how much money do you want to spend?  If you must be conservative with watering, then water to save lives. Watch your plants for signs of water stress: wilting, yellowing leaves, and (getting towards fatal) crispy leaves.  A good soak can save a plant's life, even if you choose not to give it all the water that it wants.  

Remember to have plenty of mulch to cool the soil and root system, it will slow evaporation.  Leave air space right around the stem or trunk of your plants. 

Spider mites are frequently a problem during hot, dry spells.  Symptoms of spider mites are speckling of the leaves, lightening the color.  Heavy infestations produce webs with thousands of the very small mites, especially on the underside of the leaves.  A strong spray of soapy water will help clean away the webs and wash many mites away.  Eggs can hatch about once a week, so persistence is necessary.  Kelthane, a miticide, can be used as a chemical control.  Read the directions for how to apply.