Garden Jobs

Things to do this week:

* Time to plant tomatoes, peppers. Even near the coast, it is now far enough along in the season to plant so-called main crop tomatoes--the big beefsteaks and other hearty kinds that need lots of warmth. Ditto with peppers and eggplant, if you haven’t already put them in. Peppers, by the way, do great in containers and look quite handsome.

Melons, the fourth heat-lover, probably won’t find coastal conditions warm enough, but Inland Empire gardeners will have no such problems growing extra-sweet fruit.

* Restart roses. Everyone’s favorite flower is really late this year, but remember to immediately cut off blooms after they finally flower and begin to fade. Make cuts well down the stem, where there is a big five-part leaf or where the stem is about the thickness of a pencil. A week or so later, fertilize bushes to encourage a new round of bloom.

* Mulch. To keep roots cool and moist, mulch beds with shredded (not chunky) bark, cocoa bean hulls, or with mushroom or homemade compost. Compost is the best bet, since it also replenishes nutrients. Use homemade compost well before it completely breaks down so it covers more ground and stays in place.