Gardening is Great for Kids

“Why try to explain miracles to your kids
when you can just have them plant a garden.”
Robert Brault

Our beautiful crab apple tree planted over 20 years ago.

There are gardeners who fuss and agitate about getting seeds planted early, and those who wait until Mother Earth is ready, then begin planting.  With this in mind, rest assured that it’s still not too late to plant a garden, and still have a good harvest.

With plants that take over 80-90 days to mature, it’s wise to plant seedlings instead of seeds.  Such things as melons, tomatoes, and squash can be put in any time in June as seedlings. Vegetables with a shorter growing season such as carrots, chard, beans and corn can still be started by seed. 

Some things such as radishes, spinach, and lettuce don’t do well in hot weather, so you are probably too late to plant these, but you could do an early fall planting of them and get a crop when it cools off a bit.

We have planted corn as late as July 4 and had a crop…that’s assuming there’s a beautiful Indian summer which stretches into Oct. or later with no early frost.  Again check the # of days needed to mature as listed on the packet.

       Steve Lovell and my husband Steve, help plants grow faster by using black plastic with drip systems which waters beneath the plastic.  The plastic captures additional heat, and also squelches unwanted weeds.  But initially it takes more time and work to install, but both claim it is worth it.  If you want to try it out, stop by for a look-see and tutorial.

Same view later in the season

Transplanting Perennial Flowers

If you can commit to watering transplants daily for the first few weeks, it’s still not too late to transplant perennial flowers.  Most are better moved in early spring when it’s cool, but again if it’s not too hot…you can still get them in, and see them take off if you keep them well watered at first. 

Some of the best plants to transplant are: day lilies, Sweet Woodruff (a ground cover), sedum, tansy, lambs ear, iris, and chrysanthemums.  Flowering bushes such as forsythia which root by runners, can also be transplanted as well as decorative grasses. Trim back tall foliage, so the roots can support the plant as they get reestablished in their new home. 

Transplanting annual flower seedlings

   By now annuals started from seed should be big enough to carefully dig up (with a fork or small trowel) and move to a new well watered spot where they have ample space to grow and enjoy the “full measure of their creation.”  Marigolds, snap dragons, alyssum, morning glory and asters are all easy to transplant.  Carefully move them, keeping soil on the roots if possible, and pack them firmly into their new damp home.

Roses can be planted fall or spring.  In this picture are annuals: petunias,morning glory, geranium and calendula..

And finally:
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.  If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.