Planting when the weather has settled down and all danger of frost has past, in fact, even delaying planting slightly longer can have many advantages and even surpass those planted earlier.
Perhaps the biggest advantages, especially when we talk about crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants — the really subtropical type plants — is that you can avoid certain types of insect devastation (typical during late May and early June) and even "outrun" diseases like Verticillium wilt (especially on eggplant). Well, it looks like we'll be hampered again this weekend, as another storm sets up to bring more drizzle, clouds and cool weather. It's absolutely amazing how weather always seems to even things out sooner or later and I'm sure we'll be basking again in 90-degree temperatures soon enough.
On the subject of water, here's an interesting fact: It takes 25 pounds of water to produce a single pound of a food crop. That one-pound tomato you'll harvest this August required 25 pounds of water to produce! It's amazing when you think of water
In the meantime, the perennial garden has leapfrogged into high gear and is in need of some maintenance. My first priority is to get the circular wire plant cage supports up and over the peonies before they get too large. These devices make life a whole lot easier and give much- needed assistance to these weak-stemmed plants that just aren't strong enough to support themselves.
The circular cages will be used on other such perennials (after an initial investment of around $100, the wire cages and loop stakes will last forever), as will the single wire loop stakes that do such an impeccable job supporting the likes of delphiniums, hollyhocks, foxglove and even lupines. These "little" staking jobs throughout the garden can really consume quite a bit of time, but there's nothing worse than gorgeous peonies or sky-piercing delphiniums that flop in the wind only to break and fall to the ground.
ASPARAGUS TIME
This is prime time for the asparagus crop and it's important to keep up with harvesting the stalks almost daily, since they grow so fast. There's an easy trick to picking asparagus that not only ensures that you get as much edible asparagus stalk as possible, but it also safeguards the somewhat touchy roots below. All you need to do is to simply grasp the asparagus with one hand and twist it slowly. The stalk will break cleanly away from the stem of the roots below, while yielding as large a stalk as possible.
I'll stop harvesting the asparagus just around Memorial Day, at which point the bed will be fed with a generous helping of 10-10-10 fertilizer and allowed to grow their trademark large green fronds, which enable the roots to build up reserves for next year's harvest.
PRIVACY BORDER
One of the questions I always get this time of year concerns establishing a living privacy border and what trees or shrubs might be best. Most folks are setting up their borders right on property lines for obvious reasons of shielding the next door neighbor or covering up an eyesore in their own yard. Nothing wrong with that, but the wrong selection of plant material can cause lots of problems or simply be ineffective. To get right to the point, I am very biased when it comes to this type of planting and consistently recommend the fastigiatus white pine, fastigiatus meaning that growth is tight and upright in direction rather spreading horizontally.
What do I like about these super white pines? They grow fast. They're easy to grow. They also shield all year long because they are not deciduous. They're great to look at and you won't pay an arm and a leg for a decent-sized tree. What's more, fastigiatus white pines look natural even when lined up in a soldiers row. The photo that accompanies this column on C1 shows a privacy row of fastigiatus white pines I planted on the border of my own property just three years ago. The pines are easily 15 to 18 feet tall; not bad for trees that were in the six- foot range when planted. Not every garden center carries this variety of pine, so call around first.
LEEKS FOR LONG HAUL
At long last the leeks that were started from seed back in February are ready to plant in the garden. This is one crop that requires the entire growing season to mature, so I make sure that the beds have been well-taken-care-of with copious amounts of compost and rotted manure. Leeks enjoy a slightly sandy soil texture, as well, so I add in several bags of screened sand that helps improve drainage and aeration.
The seedlings themselves have been growing in the cramped quarters of a four-inch pot, which hasn't hurt them, but it does make for a massive tangle of roots. The easiest way around this is to soak the entire root ball into a pail of water. With a little prying, the roots come apart easily and intact.
Since it is the white flesh of the leek that is most desirable, the way to accomplish this is by a seasonlong blanching process.To do this, I simply set the leeks into 12-inch-deep trenches, with the soil I excavated set aside for later use. At this stage the leeks are no more than a whisper of grass in size and aren't strong enough to support themselves upright. After a drink of transplant solution and about a week of warm weather, though, they'll be off and running.
As the season progresses, I'll draw the soil back in around the base of the leeks, stopping just short at the joint where the leek puts on new foliage. Leeks are heavy feeders, so each time I draw soil, I'll also work in some 10-10-10- granular fertilizer to keep fattening them up.
Other than this periodic chore, there's not a whole lot more that you need to do with leeks. By mid-October, the leeks will be about three-feet long and as thick as my wrist.
PRIME PRIMROSES
One of the nicest spring flowers is the primrose. They are a shade-loving plant and almost any landscape has some shade available on the north side of the house or in the shade of shrubs, evergreens or trees.
Primroses not only offer a variety of form, size, color and habit of growth, but bloom (depending upon the variety) over a considerable period of time.Starting with the early Juliae hybrids such as Wanda which blooms about pussywillow time, one continues through the mass of bloom of the polyanthus through to the double and triple decked flowers of the Japanese primroses in late May and even early June.Some of the less common helodoxa primroses may even bloom up into July. Not many other plants give such a long period of bloom.
It's easy to get started with primroses. Blooming-size plants of the more common forms are available from many nurseries. Primroses may be grown from seeds. Although only the more common kinds such as Polyanthus are available from the average seed store, primrose specialists handle a wide range of species and varieties.Primroses, with the exception of florindae, helodoxa, bulleyana, beesiana, and japonica, require a well- drained soil. Those we have just mentioned, however, will grow in a relatively wet soil. Florindae and japonica will thrive in a bog.
Before planting any primroses in the garden proper, the bed should be prepared by mixing the soil so it is at least half peat to a depth of at least eight inches. As with all other planting, a complete commercial fertilizer should be mixed with the soil.
Primroses can be planted in early spring, in late spring after they have finished blooming when they are normally divided, or in the early fall. The more common primroses seem to be perfectly hardy and, except for a light mulch to prevent heaving, they do not require a great deal of winter protection.
Primroses should be fertilized regularly. In the early spring before growth starts, scatter a complete commercial fertilizer such as a 4-12-4 or something similar over the entire bed. Another application can be given in the early fall to stimulate a little fall growth before the ground freezes.
The worst primrose pest and the one that probably kills more primroses than any other is the spider mite (red spider). Because primrose leaves are close to the ground, it is difficult to contact these mites with the average dust or spray.
Although Malathion is effective if contact can be made with the mites, it is not always possible. These are the best materials available in most areas. A dust or spray such as Malathion should start in May and continue through August, with applications about every two weeks. It will help if the foliage can be raised to get the materials on the undersides of the leaves.
Slugs are always around primroses because they grow in the shade and a little slug bait usually can control most of the problem.
NO VIOLETS PLEASE
This is the time of year many homeowners start having lots of questions regarding lawn weeds, especially those pretty, but stubborn violets in the lawn. Violets usually grow in colonies and can be found in a wide variety of habitats ranging from dry, rocky prairies, to moist woodlands, and in your lawn, especially in shady areas.
Violets are difficult to control in turfgrass areas. The commonly used broadleaf herbicides, (2,4-D, MCPP, and dicamba) amazingly, is not effective on violets. Probably the best way for a home gardener to control small infestation of violets is to dig them up.
There is a product for the control of wild violets called triclopyr, however this is generally unavailable to home gardeners. Contact a professional lawn service if your lawn is seriously infested with violets, as several applications will likely be required.
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