Garden almanac, Garden Pests

This Week in the Garden (June 11)

It’s that time of year when herbicide damage starts to show up—something that’s, unfortunately, pretty predictable. If you’re noticing cupped or distorted leaves, especially on tomatoes or peppers, there’s a good chance it’s from herbicide drift. The good news? If your garden got hit, it’s not too late to replant!

As we move closer to summer, you may also see signs of iron chlorosis—those yellowing leaves with dark green veins—on plants like viburnums and maples. It’s not that the soil lacks iron or manganese, but our high pH clay soils make it hard for plants to absorb them. I’ve had good luck using a water-soluble iron spray. You can also help by mulching with compost, pine bark, or peat to improve soil conditions over time.

Peonies not blooming this year? Or blooming less than they used to? A couple of common reasons: they may be planted too deep (those eyes should be no more than 2 inches below the surface), or they might be getting shaded by trees that have grown over the years. If that’s the case, wait until September and consider moving them to a sunnier spot.

To help prevent bacterial and fungal issues, think about switching to drip irrigation. It keeps the leaves and stems dry, uses less water, and is super helpful if you plan to be away for a few days. Plus, it’s easy to set up.

Cabbage aphids on cauliflower

One more thing—it’s shaping up to be a big year for aphids. They’re tiny but persistent. Keep an eye on your plants and give them a good spray with the hose if you see any. If they’re really bad, insecticidal soap, neem oil, or Malathion can help—just don’t forget to spray the undersides of the leaves where they like to hide.

Happy gardening! 🌱 Let’s keep those plants healthy and blooming.

Astronomy

Night Sky this Week

In the night sky this week, Mars is hanging out in Leo, sinking below the horizon around midnight. The red planet is getting dimmer as the Earth pulls away from the red planet. On Sunday, the moon passes to the north of the planet.

Jupiter is low in the west right after sunset, if you can glimpse it before it sets.

In the morning, the bright object you see around a couple of hours before sunrise in the east is Venus in the constellation of Pisces. It is gaining in brightness as it closes in on Earth’s orbit. On Saturday morning, the waning crescent moon lies to the left of the planet.

Saturn is to the upper right of the bright Venus. This is a good time to look at the ringed planet through binoculars or a small telescope because, to the planet’s northeast, you can find Neptune. It will look like a small blue-green star.

Vega shines in the northeast as summer’s brightest star. It is twice the size of our sun and only 25 light years from us. Vega has been our North Star in the past and again in the distant future. This star leads the Summer Triangle up to the skies.

So, grab a blanket, maybe a telescope or binoculars, and enjoy the cosmic spectacle this week has to offer this week through June 6th. The night sky is putting on quite a show this week—let’s take a look at what’s up there!

Garden almanac

This Week in the Garden (May 20th)

This week in the garden, there is a hard lesson to learn when buying transplants: to remove the flowers or any fruit from the plant. This puts energy into the root and leaf growth for a stronger plant down the road. Also, depending on the plant, pinch it back to encourage a healthier plant.

Pennycress

The weed of the week is pennycress or skunkweed. I left one growing on the south side of my house. I counted 8 seeds in one pod, and 50 pods made around 400 seeds. This weed is called a winter annual, meaning it starts growing in the fall and then finishes with flowers and seeds the following spring. Being an annual, it is easy to pull out; just do not let it go to seed.

In planting new apple trees, look for trees that are resistant to scab, rust, and powdery mildew or a combination of these diseases. It will state this on the label. Remember to plant two varieties for a good apple crop.

Dead top in birches

There are some dead tops in maples and birches this year, caused by drought, winter kill. If you can remove them safely, do it.

I had a question about a male Silver Maple having seeds. On checking this, sometimes Silver Maples will change sex depending on environmental factors. Plants are amazing.