JUNE GARDEN CHECKLIST
By Terry Kramer
- DON'T WEED, MULCH -- Why spend your valuable summer time pulling, hacking
and cursing the stubborn weeds in your garden? Instead, mulch with newspaper,
cardboard, chips, dried grass clippings, straw, compost or wood shavings.
Or try the "One-Minute Garden" technique using black plastic.
Mulching smothers weeds and conserves moisture. Two to three inches of
organic mulch will help.
- PLANT HERBS -- Basil, chives, coriander, dill, marjoram, parsley, rosemary,
sage and savory are wonderful summer herbs that thrive during warm summer
days. Plant them in large containers with favorite annuals, or incorporate
them into a creative rock garden planting.
- GROW VEGETABLES -- June is a good month to plant warm summer vegetables
such as corn, beans, summer squash, pumpkins, peppers and tomatoes.
- KEEP 'EM WATERED -- Lawns, shrubs, trees, vegetables and flowers need
the equivalent of one inch of rain each week to maintain vigorous growth.
Give newly planted trees and shrubs a deep soaking once a week. Containerized
plantings and newly planted vegetables and annuals need a good soaking
every five days or so, depending on weather.
- DEADHEAD -- Keep annuals and perennials flowering all summer long by
pinching off the spent blooms. Don't allow plants to set seed. Rhododendrons
should have faded trusses removed as soon as possible.
- PROVIDE SUPPORT -- Breezy summer afternoons can topple taller growing
annuals and perennials. Be sure to provide adequate support for cosmos,
dahlias, delphiniums, gladiolus, hollyhocks and lilies.
The North Coast Journal Table of Contents