Dear friends,

Did you know that many plants -- lettuce and cabbage, for example -- are almost all water? That's why it's so important to water your garden regularly. One way to tell if you must water is to look at the plants. If they look a little droopy in the early morning or early evening, you should water right away. If they droop a little in the middle of a hot day, that often means that they are just hot, not thirsty.

There's another way to see if your garden is thirsty. Scratch into the soil with your finger. If it is dry for more than 1 inch deep, then water the garden.

Even after you've watered, scratch the surface of the damp soil. Is it dry underneath? Then water it some more. Remember, it's not enough just to wet the surface. Always check to be on the safe side.

Since planting my garden we have had very good rains, though not quite as much sun as I would have liked. The lettuce is growing particularly well and will be ready for harvesting quite soon.

Next time, we'll talk about an important subject -- bugs!

Sincerely,

Peter Tonge P.S. If you haven't yet joined my children's garden project, previous instructions appeared June 5, 10, and 17.