Late May Garden To-Do List
Harvest. Continue to harvest peas, herbs, brassicas, beets, and carrots. The lettuce and spinach is probably already trying to bolt, but if not, eat it quick!
Don’t touch! If you’ve got room, it s great idea to let cilantro, dill, and parsley bloom and go to seed. These plants create disc-shaped compound flowers that are perfect for beneficial insects.
Plant warm season crops. It’s not too late to plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, and melons. Plus all the flowers! Add a bit of compost and starter fertilizer to the beds when you do.
Remove (and eat!) garlic scapes. Garlic creates a wacky flower bud that curves into a spiral. It’s best to remove these so that the plant will send its reproductive energy into creating a large bulb, rather than creating a flower and seeds. When this stem starts to curve around, but before the bud has opened, cut the entire flower stem out, but leave a few leaves on the plant. Use the “scape” in cooking for a super-fresh garlic flavor. (For more on harvesting garlic, see the question of the week.)
Cover blueberries to protect from birds. You can get rolls of netting to drape over them, but we’re liking these mesh bags which have been easier to put on and more effective in keeping birds out. (Or maybe the birds are just too distracted chasing cicadas?)
Look out for pests and apply treatments. Slugs and pillbugs and earwigs like damp soil too. Harvesting your crops and removing yellow leaves near the base will help keep them in check. Cabbage Moths have been active in gardens we’ve visited this month. Hand-pick them or spray leaves with BT once a week. Aphids can be knocked off with a spray of water. Aaaand we’re starting to see squash bugs and striped cucumber beetles too. It really is summer. Hand-pick these and drown them in soapy water.
If you think you might have missed something from two weeks ago, the list is saved here.
We may receive a commission when you purchase products using the links provided on this page.
