May 2, 2013
To all the lovely people,
Spring is here and that means garden! I hope you already have a good start but if not here is a general guide for you to follow. Most of us live in zones 9 or 10 so I will include only those two zones. I hope this will be your best garden year yet!
Please so not forget the compost and mulch - with the water shortage it is important to conserve as much as we can.
Paul
May To-Do List for Zone 9
- Plant last runs of lettuce, choosing heat-tolerant varieties that are slow to go to seed.
- Start new plantings of melons, squash, dried beans, okra, and southern peas that thrive in heat.
- Set out heat-loving petunias, moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora), amaranth, vinca (Catharanthus roseus), nicotiana, marigolds, and sunflowers.
- Pull out and compost primula, viola, calendula, and pansy plants that are no longer flowering well.
- Use drip irrigation to provide a constant supply of moisture to beds; also mulch with organic materials, such as dried grass clippings, pine needles, or leaves.
May To-Do List for Zone 10
- Plant heat-loving veggies, such as sweet potatoes, okra, and southern peas.
- Keep heat-tolerant herbs, such as lemongrass, going strong by feeding them with fish emulsion and seaweed spray.
- If thyme, basil, and curry leaf show signs of mildew, spray them with a solution made from 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 gallon of water; repeat every few days.
- Solarize empty garden beds: Cover them with clear plastic for a month or two to kill nematodes and weed seeds and pathogens in the soil.
- Mulch all plants heavily.
Stop whiteflies and mealybugs with insecticidal soap.
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