Vegetables/Herbs
Direct-seeded vegetables need room for their roots to grow; they don’t like to be crowded. “Thinning” is a must for vegetable gardeners — a tedious chore, but the rewards are delicious.
The general rule is to thin when plants are up a couple of inches so three fingers fit between adjacent seedlings. Cutting instead of pulling is recommended so roots aren’t disturbed. Itap easier when the soil is damp. Rinse the thinned tops and use in salads or munch as you continue with your chores.
As hot temperatures set in, the early-spring cool-crop seeding season winds down, so get in one more round of seeding radish, lettuce, arugula, Swiss chard and beets. Plant where they will receive afternoon shade. Until about mid-June continue planting warm-season vegetables – peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, okra and tomatillos.
Direct seed basil, corn, okra, cucumber, melon, summer and winter squash, New Zealand spinach, green beans and sunflower seeds. Keep the seed bed moist until the seeds germinate.
Check the garlic plants — the flower stalks (scapes) on hardneck varieties will be emerging from the top of the plant. Do not remove for a few more weeks — wait until after the scapes have curled downward. Softneck garlic has no scapes.
In the landscape
Keep planting. Replace hail-damaged annuals if they aren’t bouncing back.
As the season progresses purchased annuals may look leggy (long growth with less foliage). Cut them back a little bit after planting. Compacted or circling roots in the pot should be scored — slice the sides of the root ball with a knife or something sharp to encourage roots to grow and reach out into the soil.
Fertilize hybrid tea and grandiflora roses every four to six weeks with a balanced fertilizer.
Birds are hatching new broods, and seed from landscape plants is scarce early in the season. Keep the bird feeder full so new hatchlings have a greater chance of survival. Clean and refill bird baths regularly.
Check the automatic sprinkler clock and run times to make sure it is working properly.
Insect watch
Eliminate mosquito breeding sites. Empty standing water in anything that can hold water but shouldn’t be holding water, such as buckets, bowls or garbage can lids.
Aphids are tiny pear- or oval-shaped soft-bodied insects and may be brown, red, green, yellow, gray or black. They love succulent new growth on many plants and use their mouth parts to pierce plants and remove sap. Their honeydew (poo) is glassy and sticky; ants love it. A strong blast of water easily dislodges them; repeat often. They have many predators, including lady beetles, lacewings, hover flies and parasitic wasps. Improper or repeated use of landscape chemicals may reduce beneficial insect numbers.
Roly-polys, slugs and earwigs are living the life in our landscapes. The easiest solution for earwigs and slugs is to make a trap by moistening rolled up newspaper or cardboard (paper towel roll works) and leave it outside at night near their hangouts. Each morning toss the paper in plastic before disposal. Roly-polys (pillbugs) feed on decaying vegetable matter and are harmless to people and pets.
Bees and some wasps we appreciate and encourage for plant pollination and pest control. They are a sign of a healthy garden. Pesky ones like the western yellowjacket can become a nuisance, especially late in the summer. Often mistaken for honeybees or European paper wasps, yellowjackets lack body hair and are brightly banded in yellow or orange and black. Feeding on dead insects, carrion or garbage, they nest underground or in dark cavities or crawl spaces. Their nests are hard to find. When accidentally disturbed, yellowjackets will retaliate immediately.
Yellowjacket numbers grow all summer. Hang out traps now to reduce numbers, and keep traps renewed all summer. Remove food sources such as outdoor dog food and open garbage cans. Water sources also attract yellowjackets.
European paper wasps are also black and yellow, but they are narrow-waisted with orange-tipped antennae and legs that trail below while in flight. Their open-celled paper nests can be found under eaves, overhangs, gutters and other places. They are predators of beetle larvae, caterpillars (they’ll eat destructive green worms from the cabbage butterfly) and other insects.
European paper wasps are not attracted to the chemical lure found in yellowjacket traps. If using chemical sprays on yellowjacket or European paper wasp nests, read the label instructions, and spray in the evening.
Garden tip
New transplants dry out quickly from wind and hot weather. Protect them the first week or two by placing thin pieces of wood into the ground next to plants to act as windbreaks. Row covers around plant cages or milk crates over transplants work, too.
Insect watch
Betty Cahill, http://gardenpunchlist.blogspot.com/
