Things to do in Mary: Fruits and Vegetables
Planting
□ Plant strawberry crowns . . . being careful to set the crown precisely at soil level. Pinch off the first flowers to allow the root system to develop.
□ Plant container vegetables . . . Salad vegetables and tomatoes are favorite selections. Choose small tomato varieties such as 'Patio' or 'Basket King'.
□ Plant tomatoes, eggplant and peppers . . . near the end of the month when the soil is warm. Set any stakes or supports before you plant to avoid damaging roots.
□ Sow seeds . . . of beans, radishes, melons, squash and cucumbers directly into the garden.
□ Continue to plant lettuce, carrots and radishes . . . at two to three week intervals, to ensure a constant supply throughout the summer.
□ Plant sweet corn in blocks . . . of at least four feet square, rather than long single rows. This is needed to facilitate pollination.
□ Plant culinary herbs . . . such as coriander, dill and sweet marjoram outdoors. Wait till late in the month, when the soil is warm, to plant basil.
Pruning
□ Thin fruits on apple and peach trees . . . leaving 5 inches between peaches and 6-7 inches between each apple.
□ Rub off unwanted young shoots . . . from the trunk and larger branches of fruit trees that were stimulated by spring pruning.
Pest Control
□ Keep cabbage maggots . . . flea beetles and squash vine borers away from your vegetable plants by covering the seedlings with a floating row cover. Uncover plants that need to be pollinated after flowers begin to open.
□ Allow a few plants of lettuce, cabbage or kale to bolt . . . or go to seed. The flowers are pretty and edible, they attract beneficial insects, and the lettuce will re-seed if you let it.
□ Remove aphids feeding on the tender tips of plants . . . with a blast of water from the hose.