Gardening in May

May is here and that means full bore gardening
time. In the higher elevations still keep in
touch with the weather, for a little frost
might pop-up in the next week but you should
be safe.

Now is the time to start checking for insects,
they are starting to be active and with the
mild winter that we had, there should be
plenty of them this year. If you keep everything
neat and tidy, you can cut back on the insect
problem. Any extra stuff that you have laying
around in your yard–get rid of it–Bugs
like that kind of stuff.

If you have been thinking of adding something
new this year to your yard, now is the time
to check out your local nursery. They should
be fully stocked up and have a good selection
and variety.

Now is a great time to do any sod or seeding
that you have been waiting to do. The warmer
the air temp is at night, the faster your
seed will take hold. speaking of sod and
seed brings me to this subject. Some people
say that if your lawn is over 50% good grass,
that you should just take out the bad area
and you will be find. I do not agree. If
you have bentgrass or crabgrass in your lawn
and it is starting to spread all over—Then
I say get rid of it now. That stuff is nasty
once it takes hold and you can be fighting
with it for the rest of your life. The best
way to get rid of the nasty weeds is to spray
it with round-up–wait a week—roto-till
it until you can’t roto-till no more. Rake
the area out–put water to it–wait a week
and then spray again. Then you are ready
to put down some seed or sod. If you do not
want to spray(that’s fine)you just have to
roto-till even more.

The Rhody’s in this area are starting to
do there thing. After the flowers have died
off–pinch off the dead blossoms. Be careful
not to pinch off the new growth or the new
buds that are forming. If you are going to
buy a new Rhody, they do best in a protected
area–with no afternoon sun(too hot)and not
a lot of wind. The north side of your house
is the best place–with the eastside being
the second choice.

With it now being May, this is a good time
to take a walk around and see what all is
growing and blooming. It’s a great way to
get idea’s. Be creative and try not to plant
the same old thing. Gardening can be a lot
of fun and a great way to make your own statement
on how you feel.–Have fun—Chuck

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