To all the lovely people,

I hope you all are saving the green material from your yards and composting it for use this season. I have six earth machines going right now and the compost is looking great. Our summer garden is on its way also. This week we have planted 25 tomato plants, 7 rows of corn, bell peppers, hot peppers, about 100 onions, shallots, potatoes, winter squash, summer squash, and cucumbers for making pickles. Flowers are popping up everywhere and within the next few days beans, herbs, more flowers, cole crops, and other things will be going in. It should be a good year. I try to be very careful with water even in non-drought years. Drip and hand watering are my preferences.

If you have any garden questions please write and ask. You can also call the Master Garden Hotline at (831) 763-8007. Please don't forget the Aromas Garden Tour - it's this Saturday 10-4. Tickets and maps will be available at the Grange Hall in Aromas on Saturday starting at 10:00 a.m. Myself and a couple of other Master Gardeners will be there to answer your garden questions. Enjoy your May! I almost forgot - I have not seen one aphid this season and hardly any snails.

May To-Do List for Zone 9

• Plant last runs of lettuce, choosing heat-tolerant varieties that are slow to go to seed.
• Start new plantings of melons, squash, dried beans, okra, and southern peas that thrive in heat.
• Set out heat-loving petunias, moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora), amaranth, vinca (Catharanthus roseus), nicotiana, marigolds, and sunflowers.
• Pull out and compost primula, viola, calendula, and pansy plants that are no longer flowering well.
• Use drip irrigation to provide a constant supply of moisture to beds; also mulch with organic materials, such as dried grass clippings, pine needles, or leaves.

May To-Do List for Zone 10

• Plant heat-loving veggies, such as sweet potatoes, okra, and southern peas.
• Keep heat-tolerant herbs, such as lemongrass, going strong by feeding them with fish emulsion and seaweed spray.
• If thyme, basil, and curry leaf show signs of mildew, spray them with a solution made from 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 gallon of water; repeat every few days.
• Solarize empty garden beds: Cover them with clear plastic for a month or two to kill nematodes and weed seeds and pathogens in the soil.
• Mulch all plants heavily.
• Stop whiteflies and mealybugs with insecticidal soap.