5 garden tips for this week, July 14-20

1 Words of caution
Keep string trimmers away from tree trunks. Weed whackers work great on weeds but many who use them inadvertently cut away bark and wood near the base of the tree, effectively girdling it. Girdling stunts growth and can eventually kill trees. It’s best to pull weeds growing near tree trunks.
2 Harvest time
Apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, grapes and other summer fruits ripen fast in the heat. Check them every other day or so and harvest as they mature. Since they sp