A Garden "Hoe-In"

The next two-three weeks are going to be very busy if you are planting a garden. There is a lot of work that will need to be done. If you planted Spring Vegetables, it is time to fluff, feed, and harvest.

• All lettuce leaves are ready to start cutting for salads.  You do not have to pull the plant out of the ground, just trim off the amount of leaves you need for a salad and the plant will continue to grow through late June.
• Broccoli, Sprouts, Beets, etc... are not quite ready. Take a hoe and loosen the ground around the plants (see photo) then add fertilizers such as 10,10,10 if you choose.
• If you started a plant from seed such as Carrots, you may need to thin them out.  Look at how close the plants are that actually emerged and move them if they are less than 6 inches apart.  (I usually put a lot of seeds in the ground since not all of them properly germinate. I have no idea how many will actually sprout and succeed.)

In this photo, I have loosened the dirt around my broccoli and applied 10, 10, 10 fertilizer.

Get ready for Summer Vegetables:

• Time to plant cucumbers, beans, peppers, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes.
• Start your herb gardens.  Keep in mind that Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, and Oregano will not die during the winter and will only keep getting larger each year.  Choose a part of your yard, close to the kitchen, where they will not be tilled or plowed up next year.  My herbs are mingled in with my rose garden along the patio wall. Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, and Chives will all die with the first frost but grow great in pots close to the back door.  You want to be able to get to your herbs when it is pretty, when its raining, or if its dark so you can continue cooking.
• Plant, and watch it grow! You will find that plants are not the only things blooming!