Miscellaneous
-Prune trees and shrubs that bloom on last year's growth (azaleas, lilac, etc.).
-Plant new perennials.
-Prune perennials for lush growth and repeat bloom .
-Visit a botanical garden or arboretum!
- When night temperatures stay above 50 degrees, bring houseplants outdoors for the summer.
- Most houseplants brought outside prefer a bright spot shaded from afternoon sun. Check soil moisture daily during hot weather.
- Plant tropical water lilies when water temperatures rise above 70 degrees.
Edibles: Fruits
ALL WEEKS
WEEK 1
-If you have fruit in a wire cage or under fine-mesh netting, open up one side allow pollinating insects to enter.
WEEK 2
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Prune unwanted shoots as they appear on fruit trees.
-Inspect fruit bushes and trees regularly to check for the presence of pest and diseases. Spray immediately, following the manufacturer's instructions.
WEEK 3
-Oriental fruit moths emerge. They are most serious on peaches where the first generation attacks growing tips. Wilted shoots should be pruned out.
-Blackberries and hybrid berries will produce new canes throughout summer.
-Thinning overloaded fruit trees will result in larger and healthier fruits at harvest time. Thinned fruits should be a hands-width apart.
-Enjoy the strawberry harvest.
WEEK 4
- Renovate strawberries after harvest. Mow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply a mulch for weed control.
- Summer fruiting raspberries are ripening now.
- Begin control for apple maggot flies. Red painted balls that have been coated with tanglefoot may be hung in apple trees to trap egg-laying females.
- Spray trunks of peach trees and other stone fruits for peach tree borers.
Edibles: Vegetables
ALL WEEKS
-Slugs devastate seedlings and other soft plants, especially when the weather is warm and wet. Slug traps are effective, but need clearing each morning. Soup-plates filled with beer and brown sugar attract these pest. Alternatively, bury wide-topped glass jars so that their rims are level with surrounding soil. Fill with the beer mixture. Slugs fall in and drown.
WEEK 1
-Carefully earth-up potato shoots, using a garden hoe to pull soil around them - but do not cover their tips.
-Mixing seeds with a gel such as wallpaper paste helps them to germinate rapidly in dry conditions. Squeeze the mixture out of a plastic bag and into a drill watered the previous day.
WEEK 2
-Make new sowings of warm-season vegetables after harvesting early crops.
-Harvest Asparagus stalks when 6 inches high. Use an asparagus knife to sever them 4 inches below the surface.
-Plant leeks when about 6 inches long in holes 4-6 inches deep and 9 inches apart in rows 12-15 inches apart. Trim off long leaves and straggly roots, then drop one plant in each hole. Do not pack the hole with soil, just water the plant.
-Divide chives. Remove congested plants from their pots and pull the soil-balls gently into several pieces. Discard old central parts, repotting only pieces from around the outside.
-Keep seedlings and plants free from weeds, as they encourage presence of pest and diseases, use soil-moisture and suffocate plants. Use an onion hoe carefully to sever weeds around seedlings. Re-firm soil around plants if it is loosened.
WEEK 3
-Harvest rapid-growing salad crops such as radishes and scallions, and use the space to sow another crop that matures quickly
-Transplant Brussels sprouts into their growing positions, 2 ½ feet apart in rows 2 ½ -3 feet apart.
- Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season.
- Plant pumpkins now to have Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.
- As soon as cucumber and squash vines start to 'run,' begin spray treatments to control cucumber beetles and squash vine borers. Try interplanting with icicle radishes to help deter pests.
WEEK 4
-Stop harvesting asparagus when the spears become thin.
-Pinch out the tips of fava beans to reduce the risk of black bean aphids attacking young shoots. It also encourages plants to produce pods.
- Start seedlings of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. These will provide transplants for the fall garden.
- Set out transplants of Brussels sprouts started last month. These will mature for a fall harvest.
- Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems make the most efficient use of water during dry times.
- To minimize diseases, water with overhead irrigation early enough in the day to allow the foliage to dry before nightfall.
Lawns
ALL WEEKS
-Water turf as needed to prevent drought stress.
-Mow lawns frequently enough to remove no more than one-third the total height per mowing.
There is no need to remove clippings unless excessive.
-Mow bluegrass at 2 to 3.5 inch height. Turfgrasses growing in shaded conditions should be mowed at the higher recommendations.
WEEK 1
-Create new lawns from turf. Such lawns can be used within a month of being laid. Thorough soil preparation is essential. Lay pieces of turn in rows with their joints staggered. Brush sifted soil between the joints. If the surface is dry, use a light roller to firm them into position. During dry periods, water the entire area.
-Use selective weedkillers on established lawns when the grass is growing strongly. Do not use weedkillers if the soil is exceptionally dry or wet - and not on young lawns. Afterwards, do not cut the grass for about a week and never put the cuttings on a compost heap. Instead, burn them.
WEEK 2
-Watch for sod webworms emerging now.
WEEK 4
-Cut lawns regularly. The more often they are mown, the less nutrients the grass takes from the soil.
-Feed established lawns with a quick acting lawn fertilizer at ½ cup per square yard. Insure it is spread evenly. For large areas, wheeled fertilizers distributors speed up the job.
Ornamentals
ALL WEEKS
-Plant orange-eye butterfly bush, thymes and New York asters to attract butterflies.
-In summer there are many plants that attract clouds of butterflies. These include buddleias, marigolds, Helichrysum bracteatum, lobelia, mignonette, scabious, Sweet Williams, lilac and thyme.
- Apply a balanced rose fertilizer after the first show of blooms is past.
- Rhizomatous begonias are not just for shade. Many varieties, especially those with bronze foliage, do well in full sun if given plenty of water and a well-drained site.
- Apply organic mulches as the soil warms. These will conserve moisture, discourage weeds, and enrich the soil as they decay.
- Apply a second spray for borer control on hardwood trees.
WEEK 1
-Herbaceous perennials to sow outdoors: Common Yarrow, Danes' Rocket, Fernleaf Yarrow, Red Valerian, Shasta Daisy and Sneezewort.
-Hardy annuals to sow outdoors: Annual Larkspur, Common Mignonette, Evening-scented Stock, Flower-of-an-hour, Love-in-a-Mist, Love-lies-bleeding and Nasturtium.
-Begin fertilizing annuals. Continue at regular intervals.
- Trees with a history of borer problems should receive their first spray now. Repeat twice at 3-week intervals.
- Bulbs can be moved or divided as the foliage dies.
WEEK 2
-Hardy annuals to sow outdoors: Common Sunflower, Moroccan Toadflax, Pincushion Flower, Stardust, Sweet Sultan, Tassel Flower, Virginia-Stock, Flowering Flax, Meadow-foam, Pincushion Plant, Pot Marigold, Snow-on-the-Mountain, and Summer Adonis.
-Biennials to sow outdoors in a seedbed: Foxglove, Hollyhock, Honesty, Siberian Wallflower, Wallflower, Alpine Wallflower, Canterbury Bell, English Daisy, and Forget-me-not.
-Pinch back mums to promote bushy growth.
WEEK 3
-Deadhead bulbs and spring flowering perennials as blossoms fade.
-Watch for bagworms feeding on many garden plants, but especially juniper and arborvitae.
-Thin seedlings to proper spacings before plants crowd each other.
WEEK 4
-Herbaceous perennials to sow outdoors in a seedbed: European Columbine, Iceland Poppy, Oregon Fleabane, Oriental Poppy and Small Globe-Thistle.
