Welcome, August! We are always grateful to hear from our readers. A lot of times, you add some wonderfully helpful gardening advice, too! 

“Thank you for such a great resource.”

“June was one of your best issues!”

“I really enjoy all of the different articles and ways of gardening.”

Some tips from our community:

“Across the U.S., Basil Downy Mildew is the most likely cause of serious bouts of yellowing, and is usually followed by leaf drop. A gray, fuzzy growth on the underside of the leaves is indicative of downy mildew. The best time to see the fuzzy growth is early in the morning (e.g., 8 AM), and using a hand lens is helpful. Using resistant or tolerant varieties of basil is the best way to ensure a supply of fresh basil from your garden, though the pathogen responsible seems to be evolving new strains. Look for the Prospera series, as well as Cardinal (my favorite). A brand new resistant intro called Piedmont also looks very promising, and has a great aroma and classic basil flavor.” – Gerard Z.

“I built three tall raised garden beds and used the process of hugelkulture to fill them— logs on the bottom, then sticks, then yard vegetation, and finally garden soil. It’s a lot less expensive and environmentally friendly.” – Lynn K.

“I save all the toilet paper cardboard rolls. I make them into little pots by cutting a few slits into one end and folding and gluing them. These are ready for planting seeds. Just as the egg cartons, once the seeds are sprouted and are then seedlings, you don’t have to disturb the plants to transplant, just put the whole little pot into the soil and it’s ready to grow. This trick also helps to keep chipmunks and squirrels from digging up the seeds.”

If you’d like to share your feedback in a future issue, please comment below or email your comments, feedback, and suggestions to submissions@foodgardening.com with “Subscriber Feedback” in the email subject line.