In May we mow, we hoe and feel the north winds blow. This is the most exciting time for gardening. Planting squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers this month gives us the promise of a tasty summer. The nurseries are bursting with fruits, flowers and vegetable starts. So while we are all in the frenzy of nursery shopping and planting, let’s consider some of the other garden chores worth doing.
CHECK ON THE GARLIC: If you planted garlic last fall chances are the crop is filling out. Now is a good time to weed and keep the beds mulched with rice straw. Early maturing varieties might be putting on scapes. Keep them trimmed off and use for cooking.
CHECK THE COLE CROPS: Early spring planted broccoli, cabbage and the like should be monitored for green cabbage worms. That delightful snow white butterfly flitting about your vegetable garden is laying eggs on the cole crops. Those eggs turn into green cabbage worms that make a mess. Spraying weekly with Bacillus thuringiensis is an organic way to keep the green worms a bay.
PLANT HUMMINGBIRD FLOWERS: Plant sun-loving salvias and shade-loving fuchsias now to keep the hummingbirds well fed naturally all summer long. Hummingbird favorites eliminate to clean and fill feeders.
CONSIDER RICE STRAW: The best way to keep weeds down and conserve moisture this summer is to mulch vegetable plants with rice straw. A big bale goes a long way. Potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, squash, beans, peas, broccoli and other large vegetable crops benefit from a thick blanket of mulch.
CHECK THE HOSES: The rainy season is rapidly coming to a close. Now is a good time to check hoses, sprinklers and nozzles for leaks.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.