When your cool-season vegetable crops are harvested, replace the space with summer ones.

June is prime time for that first main harvest of the many vegetable crops you planted back in late March through April.

You did plant a selection of cool-season crops, right?

If so, the list of veggies you could/should be harvesting by now include peas, spring onions, radishes, “new” potatoes (small young ones), spinach, all sorts of lettuces and greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips, and kohlrabi.

As you yank spring-planted edibles, don’t let the harvested space bare. That ground can be used for summer crops.

Your plant-now menu includes cucumbers, beans, okra, zucchini and other summer squash, malabar spinach, red beets, quick-maturing varieties of corn and melons, and even a few last-minute tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants.

Remember, empty vegetable-garden soil is a terrible thing to waste. Besides, if you don’t plant a new edible, weeds will colonize the space instead.

It's easier to stop a plant disease when you catch it early... or better yet, prevent it.

Many plant diseases flourish as our weather turns warm and humid over summer.

Pay attention to early outbreaks because it’s much easier to prevent a brewing problem than to control a disease after it’s run rampant.

Here’s a six-prong, disease-fighting game plan:

1.) Choose disease-resistant plant choices in the first place. Some plants and varieties of plants are much more resistant to disease than others. Do your homework and look for labels and plant descriptions that indicate superior disease-resistant traits.

Check out “George’s Survivor Plants” booklet, a 19-page, $4.95 downloadable list of the toughest plants for Pennsylvania gardens

2.) Give plants adequate space. Packing plants too tightly together cuts down air flow and keeps leaves damper longer, which most plant-infecting fungi like.

3.) Water the soil, not the leaves. Anything you can do to keep the leaves dry is a plus for fungus-fighting. Diseases are more likely in gardens watered by overhead sprinklers.

4.) Add a light layer of fresh mulch each spring. The topping helps keep diseases spores on the ground from splashing up onto the stems and starting a new infection.

5.) Pick off diseased leaves. If you do see early signs of leaves starting to yellow, spot, or splotch from a disease, pick them off and get them out of the yard ASAP. That can slow the transfer of spores and slow or even stop the spread of a disease.

6.) Disinfect pruning tools between plants. One way plant diseases spread from plant to plant is on pruners, saws, loppers, and other cutting tools that carry spores from an infected plant to a healthy one.

Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, the myth-busting horticulturist and author of “The Informed Gardener” book, says household cleaners such as Lysol and Pine-Sol are better choices than the more tool-corrosive chlorine bleach that’s often recommended.

She recommends cleaning tools before dipping them into the disinfectant and then wiping them off with a clean cloth before pruning the next plant.

If tools can’t be dipped, Chalker-Scott recommends applying the solution with a clean cloth or pouring it over the tool held over a bucket.

Disinfecting solutions should not be allowed to contaminate the soil, she adds, and they should never be applied to pruning wounds or onto plants directly.

Retired Penn State University plant pathologist Dr. Gary Moorman says it’s helpful to wash soil and plant debris from tools before and/or after use and to store them off the ground, such as in a bucket of disinfectant, on clean newspaper or plastic sheeting, in an empty, clean container, or hung on a wall.

If all of that fails and a disease causes intolerable damage or threatens to kill a plant you really don’t want to risk losing, garden centers carry a range of fungicides – both chemical and organic.

Read the label to make sure a particular fungicide controls the disease your plant has and that you’re applying it at an effective time. Not all fungicides control all problems, and even a right one isn’t effective if you apply it too late or at an inopportune time (i.e. right before a drenching rain).

One gardening trend-watcher says gardeners fall into one of six categories these days.

Janeen Wright, editor of the Greenhouse Grower trade publication, recently penned an article about how ornamental gardeners are trending into one of six different categories these days.

Any of these ring a bell?

The Environmentally Conscious Consumer. “These consumers put the planet first. They lean toward eco-friendly, low-maintenance plants that save water and conserve the soil.

“They’re mindful of fertilizer use and not always hip on plastic pots. They’re friendly toward eco-products that hold a purpose and offer sustainability.”

The Houseplant Aficionado. “This consumer has become a passionate collector of sorts, often on the hunt for plants they’ve seen on social media or at a friend’s house. The highly sought-after fiddle-leaf fig is a good case in point.

“In addition to the aesthetic appeal of bringing nature indoors, enthusiasts also love houseplants for their physical and mental benefits.”

The Tropical Trendsetter. “If they can’t go to the tropics, these consumers will bring the tropics to them with plants that give their patios and landscapes a lush, exotic feel. It’s not only the plants with vibrant blooms that excite this consumer, it’s also those plants with unique and oversized foliage.”

The Pollinator Advocate. “Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, and other pollinators are welcomed to this consumer’s garden. The plants they desire are the ones that welcome pollinators with open arms and invite them to stay a while.”

The Container Creator. “Designing the perfect container or buying the perfect combo appeals to this consumer, who strives for the perfect balance of thriller, spillers, and fillers. They’re big on plants with color, texture, and interest for their dramatic appeal.”

The Carefree Gardener. “Fuss-free, fool-proof, and low-maintenance are the operative words for this consumer. They’re busy and want the show-stopping garden look without the work.”

Any of those seem familiar?

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