Gardens Still Growing Despite the Heat and Pests

It's mid summer in North Carolina and it is HOT!

Despite the blazing sun and extreme temperatures, gardeners are somehow still finding a way to tend their gardens - maybe a a little less often that normal, or perhaps in the early morning hours, but they are getting the job done none the less.

The Briggs Avenue Community Garden in Durham is a prime example. It's harvest time for things like cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and summer squash and an abundance of all of these are making their way out of the garden and onto gardener's plates.

Garden pests are unfortunately in abundance as well as they LOVE the juicy, nutritious plants almost as much as we do! Here are a few resources to help gardeners deal with some of these pests. Remember that some insects are beneficial and help to keep pest insects in check, so make sure to identify insects before deciding what to do with them.

• http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG295/html/index.html (NCSU)
• http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/insects.html (Growing Small Farms)
• http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/pest-disease/pests (Organic Gardening)