Fruits that are not easily removed from the plant, such as eggplant, should be cut with a knife. Courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden

Installing drain tile can help in certain garden situations where the soil is too wet. The pipe must slope evenly from the highest point to the lowest point where water can discharge out of your garden.

Adding a drain will not help your soggy conditions if it does not move the water out of the garden. Digging a hole and filling it with gravel will not help with drainage, as the water has nowhere to go. The drain should be installed in the lowest area of the bed, and the soil above the drain should not be compacted or heavy clay, which would prevent water from reaching the drain.

If you have catch basins as part of an existing drainage system, be sure to clean debris out of them on a regular basis.

• Keep these general rules in mind when harvesting most fruit and vegetable crops.

First, it is important to harvest them when they are at the peak of their flavor. Younger plants and fruits are often more tender than those left longer on the plant.

The length of time fruits and vegetables remain edible depends on weather conditions. High temperatures hasten maturity.

It is also important to handle them carefully during harvest time. Check the garden daily and remove any ripe, damaged or misshapen fruits or vegetables. Fruits that are not easily removed from the plant, such as eggplant, should be cut with a knife.

Harvest on a regular basis to encourage production. Many plants, such as cucumber, okra and zucchini, will cease production if mature fruits are not harvested.

• Prune shrubs that put on a lot of growth this year. Prune them as needed to keep them in the proper scale for your yard.

Growth will be mostly hardened off in early July so there should be minimal new growth when pruned at this time. Try using a pair of hand pruners instead of an electric hedge clipper to create a more natural look by making individual cuts at different heights throughout the shrubs.

For a more formal look, make cuts at the same height. Prune right above the leaves to help hide the cuts.

Careful pruning will leave the plants smaller but not looking "sheared." Remove dead wood as necessary.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.