It’s only June and there is still time to plant a garden if you’re one of the many who didn’t get it done last month. The summer is expected to last long into fall, so the growing season will still be long enough for lots of flowers and vegetables. There are some tips for success in warmer weather.
Instead of plowing soil and bringing dormant weed seeds to light, consider planting in containers or small raised beds filled with compost or a potting mix. Planters will heat up less if painted a light color; black pots can become kettles that cook roots. Containers for flowers or vegetables can be almost anything that holds soil, but the deeper the better. How about turning that old barbeque into a unique planter? Have any scraps of lumber three feet long or longer that can be cobbled together with braces at the corners to make a lettuce box? Tuck some radish seeds in there too, for a salad in about three weeks. One zucchini is enough for most families, and it could thrive in a container if you put it near a water source. Potatoes sprouting? Bury them in big pots. After the foliage grows up and dies down, just up-end the pot on a tarp and pick out the little spuds.
It’s not too late to plant. Some greens that tend to bolt and flower in heat can be planted under a shady tree if they have a raised bed of fresh soil that does not compete with the tree roots. Most common vegetables enjoy sunny days if they have enough water. Planting near a water source makes caring for them easier for the gardener. A little shade cloth cover is appreciated by plants, and keeps the deer from nibbling them too.
Cucumbers, melons, squashes and many more can be planted successfully by seed in warm soil, three seeds to a hill. Try new varieties like lemon cucumbers, Minnesota midget melons, spaghetti squash, little pie pumpkins or other interesting things to watch and add to your menus. Kids can be involved in growing fun things, then they will be more likely to eat them too. Tomatoes and peppers need longer growing times from seed, but if you missed the rush at the garden store there may still be time to start some seeds of varieties that have shorter harvest times on the package, like patio tomatoes. Forecasts suggest that we’ll have good growing conditions well into October.
If vegetables are not on the planting list, brighten your life with colorful flowers. Annuals are going on sale everywhere because they need to get into the ground before the little grower’s pots get rootbound. Annual flowers that reseed themselves and come up again next year will save money in future years, but need to be placed where they won’t become a nuisance. Perennials that die back in winter and surface again in the spring are popular with gardeners who prefer “one and done” without repeating the whole planting process every year.
Gardening and watching plants grow are great therapy in many ways. Everyone can have a little garden of some kind to nurture and enjoy through the summer. It’s time now to plan the fall garden that can be planted in July and August.
