MAY IS A PERFECT MONTH TO GET OUTSIDE AND SO SOME GARDENING
GET READY, GET SET, GO!!! – WITH ALL OUTDOOR GARDENING ACTIVITIES
It would be very rare for us to have any cold, frosty nights from here on out. So many gardeners use the first part of May to get started with gardening, especially vegetable gardening, because of the possible threat of frost.
HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL GARDENING TIPS FOR MAY
- It is full speed ahead with vegetable gardening. Our soil temperature is now above 60 degrees which makes it safe to plant tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, and others. Vegetable gardening has become more and more popular with homeowners and millennials. Growing our own food is fun and satisfying. Homegrown vegetables and fruit are more flavorful and more nutritious than store-bought produce. To be a successful gardener, just keep in mind that vegetable gardens need over 6 hours of direct sun to do well.
- It is safe to move your houseplants outside. Start by putting them in a well-shaded location and progress to increasingly lighted areas to avoid sunburning the foliage.
- If your lawn is the cool season fescue, resist the urge to fertilize now. Fall is the time to fertilize a fescue lawn. Fertilizing now will keep you behind the lawnmower and increase the chance of injury to your lawn from summer diseases and drought.
- Many varieties of azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias have now finished blooming. Now is an important time to feed these plants. I recommend fertilizing with either ESPOMA HOLLY TONE or ESPOMA AZALEA TONE. Both are excellent food sources for these plants. Also, if any pruning is needed, now is the time to do so – and, no other time of the year.
- NEWLY PLANTED SHRUBS AND TREES — So far this spring has been a great planting season. For all your newly planted shrubs, trees, annuals, perennials, etc., timely and proper watering is very important for these plants to survive and thrive. These newly planted plants have not had time to develop a large root system. So, it only stands to reason that these plants need extra loving care when it comes to watering. I recommend twice a week to do a thorough, slow soaking. To help with the watering needs of these new plants, we offer TREE DIAPER. TrreDiaper comes in different sizes and shapes and can easily be used in containers, raised garden beds, around trees, shrubs, etc. TreeDiapers catch the water, and the rain, and then slowly release the water back into the soil.
- Once spring bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, crocus, etc. have finished flowering you can cut off the old bloom stalks. But, allow the foliage to yellow and die back naturally before you cut it off to the ground. This foliage is feeding the bulbs. Once finished blooming, now is a good time to fertilize these bulbs. I recommend using ESPOMA BULB-TONE.
ENJOY MAY & PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!