End of May Musings
Greetings fellow gardeners,
As my favorite month of the year draws to a close, allow me to share just a few insights looking back. An extended hospital stay set me back this month in the gardens, but I'm slowly making headway! Most importantly, I'm trying to get all my seedlings that were started in March and April into their permanent spots in the garden. And get the houseplants outside and into their happy place!
Caged & Staked Peppers
It's been a challenge lining out rows, digging holes, and amending with composts and fertilizer. I'm eternally grateful that I prepped the major gardens last fall by weeding and then blanketing these areas heavily with 3+" of shredded leaves and straw. Because we only use Blue Seal Safe 'N Simple lawn care products, all my chopped-up oak and elm leaves from the last end-of-season lawn mowings end up in gardens and are never wasted. As a no-till gardener, I rake aside this mulch to plant and then return it between rows and around the plants. Now I'm staking and caging all the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants (somewhere close to 50).
Three-Lined Potato Beetle
It's time to cast a keen eye to your veggies now. I'm battling flea beetles and tortoise beetles on peppers and eggplant. Colorado potato beetles and three-lined potato beetles are now doing their thing right down the rows of spuds. I hear rumblings of these guys raising Caine with tomatillos, so beware! The good news is there are no issues with peas, onions, and garlic so far. Soon, though, as summer heats up and becomes more humid, diseases start to crop up in many plants. Remember, your eyes are your first and best line of defense. React quickly before insects and disease get ahead of you.
Garlic
By the way, if you haven't fertilized onions and garlic with a gentle, high-nitrogen natural fertilizer, do it now, and again just before the solstice. Nothing after, as we want bulb, not leaf production, as we proceed toward harvest. Keep your plants evenly moist throughout the season, and hope Mother Nature is kind!
Japanese Rhododendrons in Spring Bloom
As I further recuperate, I'm spending time on the porch feeling gratitude and appreciation as I gaze upon the gardens and woods around me. The oaks, maples, and sassafras have not yet sported their summer verdancy, and they just plain shimmer in spring-ness. As June approaches, I do not have much color in the perennial beds, save the large leafed Catawba rhododendrons, just now coming into bloom. However, the Japanese rhododendron, now past its peak had quite the showing of shell pink as it came into full bloom, then ripening to pure white. But between trees, shrubs, perennials, and "weeds in abandon", I bet I can count 50 shades of green, as I've mentioned before! So peaceful; we are so very fortunate.
To conclude, let me put this mildly. May is my time to rejoice! How can we not delight in lightly steamed asparagus plucked from the garden and smothered in butter? How about fresh, warm rhubarb upside-down cake (I never turn it upside down) topped with vanilla ice cream? Then there are all the fresh greens- burgundy lettuce, spinach, arugula, cilantro, chive (put it in everything!), you keep the kale! Mmmm, and then comes summer...
That's it for now. Happy gardening!