Weekend planting anyone? It’s not too late to get those vegetables in the ground. – The Boston Globe
As we enjoy the second weekend of June, you might think it’s too late to start your vegetable garden or dig into any planting. The reality is that there’s still plenty of time to get those veggies into the earth or in a container and still be able to harvest this year.
Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants can still be found at local garden centers. These summer favorites can be put in the ground until mid-June and would still have time to mature. Once you get beyond that, it’s a little bit tougher, but it can still be done.
When you head to the garden center, look for plants that are healthy and maybe even have some flowers on them already. You’ll be surprised how quickly once you put these in the ground that they take off in the strong June sunshine and warm earth. I have even found small plants at garden centers this time of year that ultimately mature and produce well.
Don’t forget seeds can be used, too
If you want to plant directly from seed, cucumbers, zucchini, and even squash can still be planted. Some of the smaller varieties of watermelons will mature in just over two months, so that would give you a harvest later in August or early September. Look for yellow and red varieties with some disease protection.
If you’re interested in growing below ground, beets, carrots, turnips, and maybe even some varieties of radish can still be planted. If you want to get going on a fall crop of daikon radish, hold off another month or so before planting those. Daikon radish can take up the space you might have for peas or early greens as those mature and die out.
I just planted some basil this week. Basil likes warm and somewhat humid weather. When you’re growing your basil, it’s a good idea to pinch the top as it begins to flower. This will encourage a bushier plant. You can easily remove large stems from the sides or the top if you want to use basil in a recipe.
In the flower department, any of the warm weather annuals can be put in the ground. I just planted some large marigolds this week and even zinnia seeds could still be tossed in a sunny spot. Just be sure you keep them evenly moist until they germinate.
For your existing plants, it’s important to be carefully checking for weeds. Besides being unsightly, weeds take nutrients as well as valuable moisture from the garden. The deeper into the summer we get, the more water becomes a premium and you don’t want large weeds competing with your plants.
You can side-dress some of the existing vegetables with a granular fertilizer and it’s not a bad idea to feed them with a liquid fertilizer as well. I tend to use organic fish fertilizers in my garden this time of the year.
For flowers, take off dying blossoms to encourage new growth. Just follow the flower down to where it meets the main plant and gently pinch it. You can do this with flowers, such as petunias and marigolds.
Summer is here, and growing your own food and flowers are great ways to connect with the Earth. I find having a meal with the produce I’ve grown is one of the most rewarding and satisfying aspects of summer.
