It's May in the Garden! Here's Your List for Zone 7

I have neglected my blogging this year, but certainly not the gardens! We have been busy cleaning, plowing, and planting...with precious few minutes left over for posting. That ends today!

Here are the pictures I have snapped over the past couple of months of 2016:

Kitchen Garden — covered up for late freeze in April

Kitchen Garden — First of May (note the new gate to Fenced Row Garden!)

And here's what's on our 'To Do' List for May for our Zone 7 Gardens*:

Kitchen Garden:

• May 1^st is the beginning of the recommended planting time for bush lima beans (through July 1^st), okra (through May 31^st), and both sweet and hot peppers (through May 31^st ).  May 15^th marks the date to begin planting sweet potatoes (through June 15^th).

• Continue planting pole beans (through July 1^st), cantaloupe/muskmelons (through June 1^st), sweet corn (through June 1^st), cucumbers (through May 15^th), pumpkins (through June 15^th), summer and winter squash (through May 15^th), tomato plants (through July 15^th), and watermelons (through June 1^st). 

• When setting out tomato plants, set up stakes or cages so you won’t disturb the roots later.  Be sure to remove any suckers to encourage the plant’s energy be used for larger fruit rather than side shoots. (I always attempt to root the suckers; many times I'm lucky and get a freebie tomato!)

• When planting beans (pole and/or bush) and corn, make successive plantings every two weeks to ensure a longer harvest. Or, you could plant early and late season varieties at the same time. Be sure to thin corn to stand 8-12 inches apart when it reaches 4" in height. And give it a side-dressing of fertilizer when in reaches 12" in height...if you want to have corn that's "knee-high by the Fourth of July."

• Plant basil and dill directly in your garden this month after the nighttime temps are consistently above 50°. 

So where are we in the above list, you ask? 

(1) I've planted a bed of Fordhook lima beans at the south end of Row 1, with Kentucky Wonder pole beans along the fence on the north end, underplanted with (a new variety for me) Jade II bush beans. 

(2) Two varieties of cantaloupe were direct-seeded in Row 3, as were 6 (!) varieties of watermelons [Sugar Baby, Jubilee, Charleston Grey, Navajo Winter (new for me), Georgia Rattlesnake, and Sweet Icebox (another first)]. 

(3) Two varieties of cucumber were planted at the south end of Row 4, as were zucchini and yellow squash. The north end of 4 is still in garden peas and will be followed by pumpkins at a later date. 

(4) We reoriented the rows in the Corn Crib (the fenced-off area around the corn rows), and on April 15 I planted 3 kinds of sweet corn in the seven rows: 2 in Silver Queen (4 year-old seed...which ALL germinated!); 2 in Ambrosia; and 3 in Peaches 'n Cream. Since we have had warm days and nights along with copious amounts of rain in the last couple of weeks, all have germinated well and will need to be thinned...my upcoming May chore after the next rain (predicted for tonight and tomorrow).

(5) in addition to beans in the Row Garden, I have planted a couple of varieties in the center square in the Box Garden (raised beds): Scarlett Runner and Rattlesnake (runner). The second one was sent to me by mistake when I ordered the Georgia Rattlesnake watermelon seeds from Sow True Seeds (my fave Asheville, NC-based seed store!). No worries! Just gives me something new to try!

(6) Speaking of the Box Garden, the raised beds continue to host our cool-season crops: Box 1 has beets, spinach, and carrots; Box 2 has broccoli and red cabbage; Box 3 has Stonecrop cabbage along with a couple kinds of potatoes (you may recall I usually grow potatoes in bags in the area we call the Potato Patch...and we do have 12 bags with 4 varieties there again this year; but we really liked how easy it was to "dig" potatoes when we trialed them in Box 2 last Spring, so we doubled our plantings in 2016); and Box 4 has worlds of lettuce (pictured). Each Box (except the Center Square) has 10-12 onions planted in the end sections. Many of these will be succession-planted with beans (for nitrogen-fixing), but we also will trial planting our sweet potatoes in Box 1. 

(7) The Herb Garden (pictured) is looking great! I added the annuals (basil, dill, and parsley) to the returning  perennials (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, lemon balm, and several types of mint). 

(8) The asparagus bed started producing very early this year and has slowed considerably over the past couple of weeks. Will need to soon weed and replenish compost. 

(9) The tomatoes and peppers I seeded earlier indoors are almost ready for transplantation. I am hardening them off in the protection of one of the wagons, which I can cover with row covers in case of low temps...or bad squirrels.  (I have lost 3 tomato seedlings as well as 2 peppers to a squirrel attack, while they were on my potting bench. Grrrrr.)

Lettuce in Box 1

Herbs!

Orchard and Berry Patch:

• Fertilize blueberries, blackberries, and grapes this month.  Read more about it in the NC Cooperative Extension publication Grapes and Berries for the Garden.

So, where are we?

(1) We will fertilize with 10-10-10 around May 15, or as soon as the blueberries begin to ripen.

(2) Additionally, we have begun enjoying the strawberry harvest, and will keep the berry patch weeded and well-picked. 

(3) We will spray with Orchard Spray about the same time to keep our pest problems at bay.

Rose Garden (and perennials and annuals):

          • To prevent black spot on roses, continue a weekly fungicidal spray regimen, if you don't use the 6-week systemic variety.   The latest research says NOT to remove black spot infected leaves UNTIL you don't see anymore green...thereby giving your rose bush all the help it needs in continuing to produce chlorophyll.

           • Prepare beds for summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds, and zinnias; a location with 6 or more hours of sun each day is ideal.

            So, where are we?

(1) We will fertilize (for the second time) with Rose Tone around May 5, as our bushes are all in full-bloom now. 

(2) Additionally, we will continue to prune as needed to keep the bushes looking tidy. 

(3) We seeded along the fences and several beds, including our Pollinator Garden (located in the Orchard) with marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers. Some were purchased packets, but most were from seed we saved from previous plantings over the years...since we planted our first marigolds and zinnias in our gardens in O'Fallon, MO. 

'Gertrude Jekyll' rose

Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees in the Front and Back yard gardens:

• It’s time to prune and 

fertilize Spring-flowering shrubs such as azalea (pictured) and rhododendron after they have bloomed.

• 

Remove broadleaf weeds from all landscape planting areas. If left to grow, they will rob water and nutrients from your plants. Mulch both beds and paths for best control.

So, where are we?

(1) We will fertilize with 10-10-10 around May 15, or as soon as the Rhodies finish their show.

(2) We had our pine straw replenished in the front natural areas and we've begun the process of mulching pathways...including the Row Garden inside the newly fenced area.

Lawns and Grasses

• According to the Home Lawn Calendar for May from the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education at NC State, mow tall fescue lawns at 3 to 3 ½”, and at least once each week.  This article also encourages grasscycling, which is the practice of leaving grass clippings on the lawn.  “Grass clippings decompose quickly and can provide up to 25 percent of the lawn's fertilizer needs.”  We actually use the clippings from the Way Back (around the Orchard and the Berry Patch) to "feed" the compost piles.  Good as gold!

• Lawns need 1 to 1 ¼ inches of water per week.

Other             

• Take some time to enjoy the butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds!  Remember to use low toxicity pesticides to protect these beautiful and beneficial creatures.  And, even though Neem Oil is marketed as an Organic spray, it is still toxic to bees...so don't spray when in the morning when bees are most active.
• Move houseplants out-of-doors when the nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.  
• After incorporating finished compost into your garden, begin a new compost pile. Or, make this the year that you start composting.  Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the subject from the NC Cooperative Extension publication:  Composting: A Guide to Managing Organic Yard Wastes.

Remember, May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Awareness Month.  Before you dash outside to your May gardening activities, put on a hat, sunglasses, and adequate sunscreen protection.

Happy hoeing!


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* This May To Do List is updated and revised from an article I had published on GoGreenTriad.com in 2011.

Happening in the Garden This Week

The four-letter weather-word has shown up on our forecast for tonight: SNOW! If it happens, we will be ready for it.

One would think with the arrival of cold weather that we'd be hanging out the "Closed for the Season" sign, wouldn't one? One would be wrong! We have quite a bit of activity going on around here.

Fall Broccoli - 2013

1. The Kitchen Garden - The Third Season is in fine form out in the Box and Block Gardens. The raised beds in the Box Garden are sporting carrots (harvested the first three of the Fall last week), lettuces (3 kinds...my fave being the Red Sails), spinach (coming in fast and furious), beets (a little late here...had to replant), broccoli (pictured, right), cauliflower (replants), collards (replants), and one lone cabbage (a replant...all its friends succumbed to the dreaded cutworms, which were the cause of the replanted brassica). The Block Garden has been completely surrounded by a temporary fence (no worries...I can "open" one side of it...:-) that is supporting a good stand of (English) peas ('Wondo'...just picked some of those and popped them in our pot of soup)...and enclosing the rows where stands one lone surviving Red Cabbage plant (yes, cutworms again...you better believe I will be using cardboard collars come Spring-planting time!).

All the raised beds are sporting winter-weight row covers (purchased two years ago from Gardeners Supply...and still showing up for duty...:-), clothes-pinned to the hoops that bend over the plantings, so they should be OK down to 28 degrees. Mr. T came up with the clever idea to corral all the leaves that our neighbors are steadily gifting us with inside the fence around the Block Garden...brilliant, indeed! They provide protection to the peas...better than straw...and, of course, that lone cabbage must feel coddled, like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

We got most of the spent plant materials pulled up and into the yard waste toter, including the 5 pepper plants and the lone eggplant. Because of the high risk of overwintering of pests and pathogens on the members of the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.), I don't compost this debris...I get it off the property. Good riddance to blights, I hope!

[By the way, I finished my latest Master Gardener article yesterday, written about the End-of-the-Season Clean-Up. Be sure to check it out here if you have the time...and LIKE and SHARE it if you are on Facebook! (If you have arrived on this post before that link is active, check back later. Thanks!)]

2. The Orchard - Granted, there isn't much activity going on amongst the fruit trees...and, since the squirrels and their pals picked all the fruit before it ripened, there wasn't much clean-up required. Still Mr. T harvested the seed pods from the zinnias and pulled up the remaining flower stalks, while I planted 6 pineapple lily bulbs (from Lakeside Farms) in the new-this-year Pollinators Garden. When the front-porch mums are finished with their blooming, I will plant them here.

I also tilled up a long bed in the back of the Way Back, across the Orchard and the Berry Patch, and planted 110 daffodil bulbs (that have been hanging out in the garage fridge for 6 weeks, as directed). They will be putting on a show, come Spring...fingers crossed; toes, too!

Seeds of the butterfly weed
Asclepias Tuberosa - 2013

We have several wonderful outcroppings of butterfly weed, Asclepias Tuberosa, in the Orchard...planted by either the birds or the wind. And, now is the time to harvest the seeds which have broken out of the pods following the recent frosty nights [shown in the picture Mr. T snapped with his iPhone (right)]. Aren't they just amazing? They are designed to be wind-dispersed, with fluffy, silky tufts. We'll keep them in a paper bag in the garage fridge until Spring, then plant...and cross our fingers and toes because butterfly weed is notoriously difficult to grow from seed. We shall see...

3. The Berry Patch - All is quiet on this tasty front. Mr. T has filled the blueberry boxes 3 (raised beds, containing the 9 blueberry bushes) with bags and bags of our neighbors' shredded (mostly oak) leaves...remember, blueberries love an acid soil and oak leaves can help maintain that. I also tilled up and refurbed another strawberry bed, this one containing the newest Ozark Beauty runners. (No snakes were found this time!)

4. The Rose Garden - All of the hybrid teas, the grandifloras, and most of the David Austen ("English" shrub) roses are winding down, forming as many rose hips as rose buds. The two notable exceptions are the coppery 'Pat Austen' and the lemony 'Molineaux.' So, when you look toward the Rose Garden from another part of the Way Back, you will see the colors of Fall: orange and yellow. Beautiful combination!

Additionally, the 'Mardi Gras' floribunda rose bush (located just outside of the Rose Garden, in the Rondel) is still budding, producing the flamboyant pinks, oranges, and yellows...all swirled together into colorful blooms. Makes for fabulous bouquets, especially when you add the prolifically-producing 'Gethsemane Moonlight' mums that now dot several corners of the property. I pruned the original 6 plants after their first growth spurt in the Spring, in order to assure lush flower production in the Fall...then dipped the "prunings" into rooting hormone...lo and behold, WORLDS of new plants. Gotta love propagation!!

The rest of our weekend activity revolved around general cleaning up and taking relaxing breaks in the swings. Since it has been a difficult week around our house, we needed some time for rest and contemplation.

And the garden is the very best place for it.  Happy hoeing!

The Good, The Bad, and The Wicked-Ugly

It's about that time. Baseball has its All Star Game, usually played on or near my birthday...the halfway point between Opening Day and The World Series. 

Here in Zone 7/Piedmont NC, it's the halfway point in our 2013 warm season veggie gardens, 3 months from the Average Last Frost Date (typically quoted as April 15) and 3 months until the Average First Frost Date (typically quoted as October 15). So how're things going, you ask? Let's take stock, shall we?

Starting with The Good, as you can tell in that photo above, the new tuteur in the Center Square of the Box Garden is a green success! The Kentucky Wonder pole beans are beginning to produce, now that the vines have reached great heights. And while the Scarlet Runner Beans (an old-world variety I'm trialing this year) haven't made any beans yet, they are showing off their striking red flowers (seen close-up). The dwarf sunflowers add contrasting color to draw the eye...and carry out the theme introduced in the stenciling I did on the topper.

What may not be evident from that picture is how over-the-moon happy I am with the raised beds in the Box Garden. Although I have long enjoyed using landscape timbers and recycled crates to create (mainly flower) beds for aesthetic reasons, I have resisted joining the raised bed army now for years, mainly because I simply didn't understand how veggies could do as well in intensive growing conditions as they could in regular garden rows.

I have maintained a healthy skepticism, say we say, about the almost religious fervor some folks use when singing the praises of the intensely-marketed Square Foot Gardening, mainly because (1) Mr. Mel takes credit for "inventing" something (intensive garden practices) that have been in use for a couple centuries in France and other countries...what he should be credited with is inventing a catchy name and a clever way to market the concept in order to garner fame and fortune; (2) in the Way Back Kitchen Garden, we have plenty of room for "raised rows," 40' long x 4' wide, with 3' aisles; and, (3) truth be told, many intensively-planted raised beds tend to look...well, 'unkempt' is the kindest word I can use.

OK, sign me up as a soldier! I am a convert to raised beds, primarily because I can control the soil-mix, allowing me to grow decent carrots and beets for the first time here in our hard-pack, clay-soil heaven...and I figured out that I can keep them from getting too rangy-looking simply by daily maintenance. Plus, I can garden intensively without feeling the need to hammer-and-nail a square-foot grid on my boxes...which Mr. Mel insists makes them SFG-official. So there!

Also in The Good column here at the midpoint, I have to sing praises of the two varieties of bush beans (all seeds of which I got at the Seed Exchange at Old Salem last January) which have been extremely productive, and of a new variety of salad tomato I was encouraged to try by MG friend JA called Sun Gold. At this point, I'm almost ready to start looking for the 'pause button' on both of these, as I cannot just stroll out to the garden to observe anymore...I must take some kind of container to harvest (bush) green beans and Sun Gold tomatoes!

In the "coming along nicely" category are the three varieties of okra (a beautiful row as you can see above, just starting to flower) and the trellised Kentucky Wonder pole beans (just beginning to flower and produce), below. The peppers are starting to yield a green one here and there, with several jalapeños and one giant sweet red on the vines. The newly-planted pumpkins (replacing the two rows and one grow bag of garlic) have all germinated and are adding inches daily. And, slowly but surely the replacement cantaloupes (from seed) are starting to flower (but not fruit)...remember, lost the first seedlings to cutworms. 

The rest of the row of tomatoes are loaded with green and ripening fruit. The pink-fruited heirloom/OP German Johnsons (below) are ripening daily, and I picked my first ones today, including those two you see below. The Celebrities have one or two ready every couple of days, and the Big Daddys have one about every three days. And you should see the salad variety I started from seed, the Juliets...just loaded with green tomatoes!

Mmmm. Tomatoes. That leads me into The Bad category. I have fingers and toes crossed that I will be able to harvest all the fruit currently ripening on the tomato vines...since I have seen evidence of blight on the leaves. Late blight, not typically seen outside of the Mountains, has been confirmed in Guilford County, and I think all this wet weather we've had this season will only make fungal problems worse. I've used Neem oil, which has some fungicide properties, but it has been raining too much to apply Serenade...my next and only remaining organic line of defense. I do have seven replacement plants ready in containers if necessary to pull any (remember the suckers I started earlier this year?), but we are nearing the last date to plant tomatoes (July 15). I feel like it's a race at this point.

Also in The Bad category falls the cucurbit row, in general. While I have harvested enough Straight 8 cucumbers to make dill pickles; enough yellow squash to eat and freeze a few; and enough zucchini to have them grilled as well as grated for zucchini bread (making the latter today), I see signs of fungal damage here, too. Losing leaves at a rapid rate on all. Had to take out at least three squash plants due to wilt. And the squash bugs are still laying their eggs on the remaining leaves. Grrrrr.

But nothing...nothing...compares to the downright Wicked-Ugly category. I have lost my entire crop of ripening watermelons and corn...to raccoons. Remember, I thought I'd lost the corn to wind damage? Well, it righted itself and set ears...and now all I have to show are empty cobs and stripped shucks. Here's the heart-breaking evidence...first, today's destruction: the remaining 6 Sugar Baby watermelons; next, the remains of the Silver Queen crop.  

Makes me want to whack something with my National Wildlife membership card.