Lauren Wiseman:
Adrian, you are leaving me for three weeks? What is a novice gardener to do without her guru? And what if I find hornworms? You know I get queasy just thinking about these creatures crawling through my tomato plants.

But I guess everyone deserves a respite, so I will have to suffice on my own. It will be a good test to see how much I have learned during my first season as a gardener. I will keep writing to you so that you will be up to date on my progress and can answer all my questions when you return.

This week, I bought an oscillating sprinkler. I am able to soak my front bed longer than if I held the hose each night. Some might think that this is a short cut, but I like to say that I am being efficient.

One benefit, though, is that I can position the sprinkler so that it waters the front lawn at the same time, which will help my dry, brown grass. I have been leaving the sprinkler on for more than one hour to ensure that I wet the ground about four inches deep.

Finally, all my tomato plants bear some fruit. My Early Girl tomatoes have turned to a light orange, the only plant that has graduated from green. Maybe this variety will blossom sooner than mid-August.

I constantly trim away the yellowed leaves and have started to trim some that block the sun from ripening the fruit. I got this suggestion from my mom, who as you know, used to be quite proud of her great tomato garden.

As you suggested, I will begin to clear out the daylilies and save them for composting, which sounds very earth friendly. You will have to tell me more about this when you return.

I will get started on freshening up my herb garden and update you next week. Enjoy England.
-- Lauren

Adrian Higgins:
I got word way over here in Oxford, England, that you're doing just fine on your own, Lauren. But knowing what you're facing in this hot, dry summer, I couldn't help sending just a quick a word about watering.

Morning is generally a better time for watering lawns and gardens than evening, because the warmth of the day allows the water to evaporate from the leaves in a way that evening watering doesn't, which helps ward off fungal diseases that do better with moisture sitting around.

Keep up the good work, and I'll be back soon.
-- Adrian