5-21-08 Itchin’ For Vacation
In This Issue:
1. What’s Growin’ On in May
2. Vacation Watering
3. Gardenerd Tip of the Month – Shade Gazebo
4. Gardenerd Product of the Month – Maternity Shirt
1. WHAT’S GROWIN’ ON IN MAY
This has been a busy month, both in the garden and at Gardenerd.com. After a little bit of a late start, the garden is bustling with the first zucchini and yellow crookneck squashes forming on the vine. Potatoes are sending up foliage and the newly planted asparagus crowns are taking off toward the sky. Peppers and tomatoes are flowering, while the beans are getting ready to do the same. We’ve also been harvesting seeds from cilantro and sweet pea plants from last season. Strawberries are turning from green to red, and the garlic is falling over – soon it will be time to harvest!
This month we also had the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series once again. There’s still one class left in this series – Pruning, Tools and Tool Care, if you want to get in on it. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! The series will be run again in August – just in time for fall planting. Stay tuned for more details.
2. VACATION WATERING
Whether it be a weekend getaway or a two-week trip, you want your garden to be alive when you return. Not to mention, you don’t want to be worrying about it while you’re away. Here’s a quick and easy solution for drip irrigation that does the trick no matter how long you decide to disappear.
3. GARDENERD TIP OF THE MONTH: A Shade Gazebo
Spare your salad greens and lettuces the pain and suffering of hot summer days. Spare yourself the sadness of going without them all summer long. Build a simple “Shade Gazebo” to keep your greens cool and crisp so you can feast on them by the pool. Depending on the size of your lettuce patch, you will need enough 2 foot stakes for each corner of the area, plus several places in the middle. Measure the width of your lettuce patch and cut shade cloth to fit, leaving an extra foot on either side. You will also need garden pins or Earth Staples to secure the shade cloth to the ground.
Place the stakes around the perimeter of your lettuce patch, then place several stakes along the center, making these slightly taller than the outside stakes. Lay the shade cloth over the top like a tent and secure it to the ground at the edges with Earth Staples. You can water straight through the cloth, but you can still remove it to check on and harvest your lettuces throughout the summer.
As an alternative, (and something we’ve done in the Gardenerd Test Garden as well) you can create smaller “tents” by deconstructing standard tomato cages. Cut the vertical wires of the cage just above the horizontal ring of the bottom and middle rings. What you are left with are 3 rings that each have 3 or 4 little legs extending out the bottom. Stick these in the ground over your lettuce and drape the shade cloth over the top. Secure with cloths pins.
4. GARDENERD PRODUCT OF THE MONTH: Gardenerd Maternity Shirt
Since it’s May and Mother Appreciate Month is still alive and kicking, we’ve created a new product for expectant mothers. Been looking for that perfect gift for your pregnant Gardenerd friends? Here ya go:
Get your Gardenerd Maternity Shirt Here
I’ve been told that sizes run small, so if you’re REALLY pregnant, size up for comfort.
Stay tuned for more gardening tips and tidbits from the Gardenerd. Happy Spring Gardening!
