Extreme temp thwarts gardens

Not that wild temperature swings and sudden changes in Kansas weather are the least bit remarkable, but this year may go down in gardening history as the one that gave Northeast Kansas the most incredible variety of extremes.

First we had the extraordinarily harsh late frosts in late April and early May; now we are stuck with temperatures in the 90s, with no relief in sight. Just a month ago we thought the rain would never stop, and now the ground is bone-dry, with nary a trace of precipitation in the forecast.

During the weekend, I made my surrender to the forces of nature, which seem particularly fickle this year. It’s official: I have turned the tap. When the leaves on my squash plants sagged, I started to water. For city dwellers, watering the garden is no big deal, but for us country folk, who pay higher prices for rural water, this is a major economic decision.

If this weather pattern holds, which the long-range forecasts suggest it might, managing the water that comes out of the hose will be important. One thing I realized this weekend is that I did not have enough mulch around my plants to help the ground retain moisture. Aged straw, which has been outside several months so that its seed has germinated, is the optimal mulch. But for most people, the quickest, handiest and most inexpensive remedy is grass clippings.

In the July heat, plants should have a couple of inches of mulch beneath them, extending out 8 to 10 inches from the stem. Row crops, such as bush beans and okra, also perform better when mulched. For them, I lay down a continuous line of mulch on both sides of the row.

Reader tips

My request a few weeks ago for tips on how to protect dill from the caterpillars that routinely strip the feathery leaves right off the plant drew comments from a couple of readers who showed me that I need to adopt a new attitude about dill and the butterfly larvae that love it too well. Readers are quick to point out that the dill-munching caterpillars are swallowtail butterflies in the making. They are, therefore, a good thing.

Delores Dickinson of Pomona set half a dozen dill plants in her garden in the 1970s and has been battling rampant dill ever since. “Dill grows like weeds in our garden as it reseeds so profusely every year,” she wrote. “We wish for more larvae to eat quantities of it.”

Dickinson said much of this year’s dill invasion was drowned out by standing water in her garden last month. I suspect, however, that she will see dill again next year when seed in the soil germinates.

Elaine VanDeventer, of Lawrence, suggests segregating dill from the remainder of the garden. This keeps the dill from becoming a weed in the main part of the garden, and it also gives the dill room to reseed freely, so there’s enough for both humans and caterpillars.

“My solution has been to allow the dill to reseed and occupy its own section of the garden, which is not disturbed,” VanDeventer said. “It’s not necessarily pretty, but I’ve always had enough dill for pickles and other cooking as well as an abundant supply of common, tiger and zebra swallowtails.”

While fresh dill is used for pickling, of course, an easy and tasty way to use it is in preparing grilled fish, such as salmon or whitefish filet. You’ll have to make this up as you go along, depending on the quantity of fish.

Lightly salt and pepper the fish and marinate it for an hour, covered in the refrigerator, in lemon juice and chopped dill. Place the fish in heavy-duty foil with a bit of dill and dotted with butter. Set the foil-wrapped fish on the grill over low to medium heat and lower the lid for 20 minutes. Check the fish for doneness. Leave the foil open for the last five minutes of cooking to give the fish a hint of a charcoal flavor. Serve with lemon wedges.