In the vegetable garden there is still time to plant the warm weather
favorites. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant will still bear plenty of
fruits if planted by the middle of the month. All varieties of beans,
cucumbers, melons and squash can be planted by seed or seedlings. They
will grow quickly in the warm soil. Planting a second or third run of
carrots, beets, beans and cucumbers can extend the picking season well
into the fall. It’s a good way to fill the empty spaces left after the
lettuce and peas are finished.

The tomato plants should be growing well at this point in the season.
Make sure to have a stake or cage in place for each plant. Once the
plants are big and starting to fruit it is difficult to get the cages
around the plant or tied to a stake without snapping the stem or some
branches. Train the plants to grow on their supports from the
beginning.

Most of the modern hybrid varieties of tomatoes are indeterminate,
meaning that they continue to grow the entire season. This type of
tomato should be pinched to control some of the growth. It is more
desirable to have only one or two main stalks per plant. Pinching out
the suckers will result in a strong plant with better air circulation,
which is important in disease prevention. The suckers are the side
branches that grow out of each leaf axil. Remove all the suckers below
the first flower cluster.

When the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant set their first fruits the
plants can be side-dressed will a little fertilizer or compost. The
same
can be added to cucumbers, melons and squash when the vines start to
run. I like to apply a little compost tea to the plants in place of
fertilizer. It gives the plants a boost and according to recent studies
the tea helps protect the plants from disease.

To make compost tea simply put a couple of shovels of compost into a
large bucket. Add water to fill the bucket. Let the bucket sit outside
in a sunny spot for a few days. Strain some the water into a watering
can and dilute it to the color of weak tea. Then water the plants with
the tea, applying it to the roots as well as the leaves. Compost tea
can
also be used on container plants.

Finish up any pruning of spring flowering shrubs. Rhododendrons,
azaleas, andromeda and mountain laurel can be trimmed and shaped now
that the blossoms have dropped. They will respond with a flush of new
growth very quickly. And the flower buds for next spring will develop
later in the summer.

Peonies and iris can be deadheaded now. Cut the flower stems off the
iris plants before they form seeds. Peonies can be trimmed as you would
roses. Cut the spent flower stems just above a leaf with five lobes.
With both of these flowering perennials keep the bed clean, removing
dropped petals and diseased leaves. This is important during humid
weather when conditions are prime for fungal activity.

The foliage from the spring flowering bulbs, such as daffodils and
tulips, can be removed from the garden when completely brown. Daffodil
foliage can remain for a long time before dying back. These leaves are
producing the food for the bulb to come back next year. When the
foliage
flops over onto other plants in the garden just push it aside to the
closest empty space. The growth of the other plants will soon hide it.

Roses are at their peak in the beginning of June. Their first flush of
blossoms is just finishing. Keep them deadheaded regularly to encourage
new growth and more blooms. Cut the faded flowers above an outward
pointing leaf with five leaflets. The new growth will come from the bud
at the base of this leaf and grow away from the center of the bush.
Keeping the center of the bush open allows for better airflow and
reduction in leaf diseases. Roses should be fertilized after the first
flush of blooms has finished. This is their last feeding of the season.
If you haven’t applied any spray for the prevention of black spot on
roses, start now. Last week’s cool wet and damp weather was ideal for
the start of leaf diseases.

Beth Nardone, botanist, is a resident of Hillsborough and is the
Nursery
Manager at the Belle Mead Co-Op. Questions and comments can be sent to
bethtanical@patmedia.net <mailto:bethtanical@patmedia.net>
<mailto:bethtanical@patmedia.net>