Real Estate (Farm & Ranch Land)

This Week in the Garden

An close-up photo shows several round red radishes growing in dark, rich soil, with their bright green leafy tops extending upwards. In the foreground, a brown drip irrigation tube runs diagonally across the frame, with a single clear drop of water dripping from it onto the soil. The background is a soft blur of more green foliage.

This week in the garden (May 14, 2026) is starting to look like we could be heading into a dry summer. Hopefully, that changes, but it’s a good time to start thinking about watering efficiently. One of the best tips is to keep the water down at the plants instead of spraying it up into the air, where so much is lost to evaporation. Soaker hoses or drip irrigation work great for this. In my garden, I run drip tubes right along the rows, usually underneath plastic mulch. Then all I have to do is turn the water on before work in the morning and shut it off when I get home. It saves water, cuts down on weeds, and makes watering much easier.

A close-up of a multicolored lady beetle larva crawling on a green leaf. The larva has an elongated, "alligator-shaped" body that is predominantly black with two distinct rows of orange-red markings along its sides and back. Its entire body is covered in spiky, branched spines.

I’ve also received a couple of pictures lately asking about strange “bugs” showing up on flowers and garden plants. In several cases, they turned out to be ladybug larvae. They honestly look like something from a science fiction movie, but they’re one of the good guys in the garden. Ladybug larvae feed heavily on aphids and other harmful insects. So if you see them crawling around your plants, consider yourself lucky.

Several tomatoes plants being exposed to direct sunlight gradually before planting into the garden.

Plants grown inside a greenhouse have had a pretty comfortable life. Temperatures stay steady, the sunlight is filtered, there’s very little wind, and water is usually available whenever they need it. Because of that, those young plants are not ready for the sudden change of outdoor conditions. If you move them directly from the greenhouse into the garden, the shock can be pretty hard on them. Leaves may turn white or brown from sunburn, strong winds can cause them to wilt, and chilly nights may stunt their growth for weeks. Start by setting them in a shaded area or on the east side of the house for a few days. If nighttime temperatures drop below 45 degrees, bring them inside or protect them. Gradually move them into more sunlight over the course of a week. They’ll adjust much better once planted in the garden.

An overhead shot of a spruce tree branch resting on a gray, textured surface. The left side of the branch features healthy, green needles, while the right side shows significant browning and dieback, with needles turned a reddish-brown color. Small, brown cone-like growths are visible at the tips of several bare or thinning twigs caused by a needle cast fungi.

Needle cast fungi are also beginning to show up on pine and spruce trees. This disease usually starts on the inner, older needles and lower branches before slowly working its way upward through the tree. You may notice tiny black spots on the needles before they begin falling off. If you’ve had problems with needle cast before, a systemic fungicide spray can help manage it. However, if only the older inner needles are dropping while the new growth still looks healthy, that is often just a normal part of the tree aging and shedding older needles.

Real Estate (Farm & Ranch Land)

Turning Old Garden Junk

Turning old “garden junk” into landscape features is a great way to add personality to your yard without spending much money. A lot of things that normally get thrown away can actually become fun and useful garden accents with a little creativity. The trick is to make it look intentional rather than cluttered.

A rustic, sun-dappled garden scene features an old, weathered metal wheelbarrow repurposed as a planter, filled with green foliage and delicate purple and orange flowers. Beside it sits a vintage, rusty watering can and a tall wooden step ladder leaning against a tree. The ladder serves as a tiered plant stand, holding several potted trailing plants that drape down its rungs. The ground is covered in dry leaves and mulch, and a large tree with drooping eucalyptus-like branches frames the background, creating a charming, country-style garden display.

Old wagons, wheelbarrows, and livestock tanks make great flower planters. A rusty wheelbarrow filled with colorful flowers can become a real focal point near a porch or driveway. Old stock tanks also work well as raised beds for vegetables or herbs. The weathered metal gives gardens a rustic look that fits especially well in country landscapes.

A charming garden decoration made of a white vintage door with glass window panes, flanked by short sections of weathered picket fence. The structure sits on a gravel base bordered by large stones, with potted plants and decorative rabbit figurines placed in front.

Your wooden ladders, old gates, and worn fence panels can also be repurposed in creative ways. An old ladder can hold flowerpots, while a vintage gate makes a nice trellis for climbing flowers or vines. Even old barn boards can be turned into garden signs, edging, or decorative accents around flower beds.

An aesthetically pleasing, vintage-style photograph featuring a weathered, light-blue enamel teapot repurposed as a hanging planter.The kettle is heavily rusted with patches of brown corrosion, giving it a rustic, antique appearance. It hangs from a curved, rusted metal rod and is filled with a vibrant bouquet of small white and pink daisies. The background is a soft, out-of-focus garden setting with lush green foliage and a gentle, natural light that creates a serene and whimsical atmosphere.

Smaller items can be just as fun to use. Old watering cans, milk cans, buckets, toolboxes, and even worn-out boots can all become unique planters. Sometimes grouping several old pieces together creates more impact than using just one item. I took some old hand tools or rusty farm pieces, which can also be hung on fences or sheds as simple decorations.

A rustic garden scene features an old wooden wagon wheel leaning against a large tree trunk. In front of the wheel sits a weathered, galvanized metal tub overflowing with bright yellow and white flowers. Beside it is a rusted metal watering can, also filled with small white and yellow daisies. The base of the display is surrounded by smooth river stones and patches of purple and white flowers growing in the grass.

Broken concrete, old bricks, and fieldstone are useful, too. You can reuse it for pathways, borders, or stepping stones. Old wagon wheels, cultivator parts, or pieces of farm machinery can become eye-catching yard art, especially in rural settings.

A rusty, vintage yellow Tonka dump truck repurposed as a creative garden planter. The truck bed is filled with a variety of lush green and pink succulents, including trailing varieties like burro's tail, and decorative river rocks at the back. The weathered, textured metal of the truck sits on a light-colored outdoor patio

One thing that helps is sticking with a general theme. Too many random items can make a yard feel messy pretty quickly. Using similar materials like rusty metal, weathered wood, or vintage farm pieces helps everything blend together and gives the landscape a more natural, finished look.

Garden almanac

This Week in the Garden

This week in the garden (May 7), after a couple of hard freezes this week, the garden season can finally start rolling. The soil is warming up enough now for cool-season crops, so it’s a good time to get radishes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, and onion sets planted. You can also transplant cabbage and onion plants outdoors now without much worry.

Tomato leaf with purple veins caused by cool temperatures.

Tomatoes and peppers, though, still need a little patience. They really prefer nighttime temperatures above 50 degrees before they start growing well. Cooler nights can stunt them and even cause those purple leaves gardeners often notice from reduced phosphorus uptake. Vine crops like cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and melons should wait until nighttime temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees.

Flowerbeds are in a similar situation. Hardy flowers like pansies, salvia, and bachelor buttons can handle the cooler weather and do just fine going out now. Marigolds and zinnias, on the other hand, are much happier once the weather settles down and the nights stay warmer.

If crabgrass has been a problem in your lawn before, this is the right time to apply a preemergent. For tougher weeds like foxtail and sandburs, plan on putting down a second application in about four weeks for better control through the summer.

Cedar apple gall, grey ball with orange tendrils) on a juniper branch.

In the next couple of weeks, you’ll probably start noticing those bright orange “spiders” showing up on cedar trees. Those are cedar apple rust galls releasing spores that can spread to apple trees through the wind. If rust has been an issue on your apple trees in the past, that’s the signal to spray with an all-purpose orchard spray and follow the label directions carefully.

White powdery substance on grass blades which is powdery mildew.

Several people have also mentioned seeing a white powdery coating on grass. Found especially on the north side of houses or under shade trees. That’s powdery mildew, a common lawn fungus this time of year. Avoid watering in the evenings, increase fertilization a bit, and try to improve airflow if possible. Long-term, planting grass varieties that are more resistant to powdery mildew is usually the best solution.