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

“It’s always good to start the day with funny reads. Gives us good disposition for the whole day ???? Keep up with the good work!”

“Thank you for the videos, I’m a visual learner and enjoy seeing the step-by-step of each project.”

“Truly appreciate your magazine!”

Some tips from our community:

On the big difference between southern zone 9 and northern zone 9: “In Northern California where I live, zone 9 is still quite cool. Soil temperatures are not really conductive to easy growth. I used to plant in April but found seeds sprouted and well established tomato transplants didn’t grow very well. Other people planted in May and got significantly better growth. Why? By May the soil has warmed enough for the seeds to break through their coats and tomatoes and peppers are happy and growing nicely. We, in the north state, are very different from Southern California.”

On making lavender simple syrup: “Lavender is not considered poisonous, although some varieties taste better than others. Try a bud and if you like the taste then go ahead and try it in your recipe. Just remember that a little goes a long way – subtle is better than soapy.”

On how to use a tiller: “I have a rear tine tiller which is MUCH easier to use than the front tine models. I don’t start shallow, I take mine down to a depth of 6-8 inches and go along. I’ve had this garden for over 40 years and the soil is amended every fall winter by incorporating my vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells etc. in trenches, then burying them over the entire garden. My soil is black and full of nutrients and easy to plant. So for gardens that have been around for years, the short method takes a lot of needless time. Especially if you haven’t walked all over it during the winter.”

On compost tea: “I am a believer in worm compost tea. I have kept a worm bin for many years and my plants love it. Also I add a handful of worm compost to every plant when I plant it. Gives them a boost.” – Michael

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.