June 2025
It’s about time to start planting most everything now. I am holding off on some of my tender plants for a few more days though. Keep an eye on nighttime temperatures. When purchasing new plants that have been growing in a greenhouse, they need to adjust to the outside environment. This means harden them off. You put them out a little at a time for a few hours each day. Don’t forget to bring them back inside at night. Basil, eggplant, peppers, squash are some examples. If they were outside when you bought them, this is not necessary. Planting them, use a weak water-soluble fertilizer (every few weeks) like Jack’s 20-20-20 to reduce transplant shock.
Be sure to dead head spring flowers, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, etc. Leave the foliage on till it dies back. On annual flowers, keep dead heading past blooms all summer to encourage new growth. If you can, avoid planting on windy sunny days.
House plants love to be out for the summer. Most are tropical, so wait till the weather really warms up. Never expose them to direct sunlight at first. They will get sunburnt. I start mine off in a shady spot for several weeks. If they do not require much sunlight, leave them in the shade. If they like the sun, expose them gradually. Look up the origin of all your plants to see what they require for good growth.
One of my recommendations for a flower that does really well is the sun impatient. It’s available in many colors and is not a New Guinea impatient. They look very similar. Check the label to make sure it says Sun impatient. They are usually sold in individual pots. You’ll love them ! You will have color all summer and no dead heading required, or cutting back later in the season. They will last till frost in the fall. Just fertilize it every 2 weeks.
A little trivia for you. What is one of the hardest vegetables to grow? An artichoke. Why? They take 85 to 100 days to harvest. And are susceptible to many diseases. They don’t like the temperatures to be too hot or too cold. What is one of the easiest to grow? Radishes, because they can be planted early in the spring. Maturing quickly in 20 to 40 days. Once you harvest them, another different crop can be planted in the same place with an addition of a granular fertilizer. They have few diseases, and critters don’t usually eat them.
Try to grow some plants that attract pollinators like bright flowers with a deep throat. I’ve even seen hummingbirds on my tomato blossoms. To my surprise, this week I saw a yellow and black swallowtail butterfly land on my newly tilled garden. Staying there for a long time, they were taking up the nutrients and minerals in the soil. A friend told me this is called mud puddling. I’ve never seen this done before. Gardens are a wonderful joy to us all, I’m sure. So, take time to enjoy them.
