Business at local nurseries generally peaks during May. To get the best selections, shop early in the month while supplies are plentiful.
When buying vegetable starts and ornamental plants, buy the best possible quality. If your nursery owner doesn’t object, slip the plant from the pot to see if the root structure is well-developed, but not pot-bound. A plant with underdeveloped roots will take longer to settle in and may not be as robust during the high heat of summer. A plant that is pot-bound cannot take up water and nutrients from the soil. Such plants may not thrive over the long haul unless you removed part of the root mass before planting.
Check hoses and fittings for irrigation systems to make sure they are in proper working order. If using an in-ground sprinkler system, make sure the sprinkler heads are working and pointed in the correct position.
Install a rainwater barrel to capture rainwater for irrigation.
Ornamental Garden
Replace cool-season bedding plants such as pansies and violas with warm-weather annuals.
Transplant bedding plants on cool, cloudy days if possible in order to reduce transplant shock. Monitor moisture levels while the plants are settling in and provide water as needed.
Plant tender bulbs such as dahlias, caladiums, canna lilies, and gladioli after the danger of frost has ended.
To minimize the spread of fungal diseases, provide sufficient spacing between newly installed plantings to allow for good air circulation.
Start checking plantings for signs of insect damage. Hand pick pests when possible. If a pesticide is necessary, use one tat will do that least amount of damage to the environment such as insecticidal soap.
Inspect emerging hosta foliage and other susceptible plants for slug damage. Remove slugs by hand or use non-toxic control methods such as sharp sand or crush eggshells at the base of the plant.
Pull weeds when they are small and shallow rooted.
Move houseplants outside into a shaded area once the danger of frost has passed. Gradually acclimate them to the sun so that the bright light doesn’t burn the foliage.
Ticks are active now. Take preventative measures to avoid being bitten. Wear long pants, closed shoes, and tall socks when working in the garden. Inspect yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks after being outside.
To encourage fuller, sturdier asters and chrysanthemums, pinch them back by about a third this month and again in June or early July.
Snip off seed heads on daffodils, but leave the foliage in place until it turns brown and begins to dry.
Stake tall-growing plants that are susceptible to wind damage. Loosely tie the plant to the stake in a figure-eight configuration with the knot again the stake (not the stem of the plant).
If mosquitoes are a problem, incorporate plants that naturally repel them such as scented geranium, lemon balm southernwood, catnip, nicotiana, marigold, lemon thyme, peppermint, and lavender.
Edible Garden
Plant warm-season vegetable crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant after all danger of frost has passed or be prepared to protect them if night temperatures drop into the 30s.
Plant beans every 2 weeks through June for an extended harvest.
Plant corn every 2 weeks for an extended harvest or plant early, mid-, and late-maturing varieties all at the same time. For best pollination, plant several rows together in a block instead of in one long row.
Cage or stake tomatoes at the same time they are planted. Caging holds the foliage upright, which helps prevent sun scald on the fruits. Staking is best done when the plant is small to avoid damaging the plant’s roots.
For canning purposes, plant determinate tomato varieties because the fruit will ripen all at once. For fresh tomatoes over a long period of time, plant indeterminate varieties because the fruit will ripen on a staggered basis.
Cover eggplants with floating row covers to prevent damage from flea beetles (small, shiny black insects).
Check potato plants regularly for any potatoes that are exposed to the sun and pile more soil over the hills. Green skin on potatoes indicate they have been exposed to sunlight, which can cause bitterness as well as toxicity.
Protect newly planted summer squash, zucchini, and other susceptible vegetable seedlings from cutworm damage. An easy method is to cut strips of cardboard 2 inches wide by 8 inches long. Form a collar by stapling the ends together and position the collar around the base of the plant. Push the collar one inch into the soil.
Lawn
Avoid cutting grass when it is wet. Besides resulting in an uneven trim, cutting wet grass can clog the mower as well as cause the clipping to fall in clumps on the lawn.
Set the blade on the mower for 3 to 4 inches for cool-season grasses.
Anticipate cutting cool-season grass varieties, such as fescue, at least once per week and possibly twice a week at the time of the year.
Remove only the top third of grass blades with each cutting. Taller grass blades help shade out weeds and other undesirable grass species.
As a safety precaution when mowing on a slope, mow from side to side rather than up and down the slope.
