Gardeners sometimes lose their momentum this time of year. The crops and flowers were put in the ground weeks ago, and the thrill of watching them leaf out, blossom and begin to put on fruit has grown familiar.

What's left is the day-to-day chore of watering, weeding and keeping the pests at bay.

Ho hum.

We checked in with some local gardeners and experts to measure the midsummer mood and to give you an idea of what to expect in the upcoming weeks in the way of pests and problems.

- Mindy Van Wart, who was featured in a "getting your garden started" story earlier this year, has been overwhelmed with her garden's leaf lettuce crop.

Spinach, kale, leaf lettuce and arugula have been a welcome addition to her table.

"It is a lot of lettuce for the two of us," she said.

Their biggest trials in the garden have come from bunnies, which she says won't leave their plants alone. The pole beans were the rabbits' favorites, Van Wart said.

Van Wart said she thought they had the problem covered with a low fence but now believes the fence was not tall enough. And pepper spray hasn't helped either.

Blossoms are on the tomato plants, and she's waiting for peppers.

"So far, we are organic," Van Wart said. But after seeing the grasshoppers in the strawberries, she is not sure that will be the case by the end of the summer.

- Grasshoppers are being noted in other places, too, according to Don Janssen, horticulture educator for the Lancaster County Extension office.

"And now is the time to control them," he said. They feed on grasses around the garden and in the landscape, he said, and several insecticides available to homeowners will help.

Too much moisture and too much heat, which is what we've seen lately, are often a precursor to root rot on tomatoes, Janssen said. Once it strikes, there really isn't much else to do.

The same goes for powdery mildew, which loves high humidity.

Janssen suggests gardeners get down plenty of organic mulch now to protect the soil from getting hotter.

Janssen's own garden is "exploding." Beets, onions, tomatoes and summer squash are all in good shape, he said.

Will the extreme heat hurt the plants? "Most of these plants are tough, with big, deep root systems," he said.

- Every week, Kim Todd, UNL horticulturist and moderator for NETV's "Backyard Farmer," fields questions from viewers about their gardens and yards.

True to form, many questions right now are about tomato diseases, which are just beginning, Todd said.

Early blight, catfacing (growth cracks) and curly top on tomatoes are on callers' minds. So are beginnings of blossom end rot in zucchini and other vegetables, how to protect crops against squash vine borers, and how to control grasshoppers and weeds in turf.

But there is talk of the bounty of the season as well. "We're harvesting striped zucchini already, and the proliferation of beautiful beets and snow and snap peas at farmers markets has been a wonder," she said.

New potatoes and kohlrabi are just coming into their own, along with cabbage loopers, she added.

So the midsummer message for gardeners is a mixed one.

It's prime time to be alert to new pests and changes in leaves, blooms and fruit.

But don't get too caught up in the down side to appreciate what may have already happened in your garden: growth of the cool-weather crops such as lettuce and a season of early bloomers - think bulbs, roses and peonies - that has come and gone.

That's the thing about gardens - they cycle in and out, with the next surprise yet to come.

Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 473-7214 or kmoore@journalstar.com.