One of the more noticeable insects in the garden this week is the soldier beetle. If you’ve been seeing large numbers of them moving from alfalfa fields and pastures into flower beds and vegetable gardens, don’t be alarmed. These are beneficial insects and are actually helping your garden.

Adult soldier beetles feed on flower nectar and pollen, making them frequent visitors to blooming plants. More importantly, they are predators that feed on soft-bodied pests such as aphids, caterpillars, and other insects that can damage garden plants. Their larvae are beneficial as well, spending their time hunting insect eggs, small insects, and other garden pests. So if you see soldier beetles on your flowers, consider them part of your garden’s pest control team.

The weed of the week is purslane. This low-growing succulent thrives in hot, dry weather and seems to appear overnight in gardens, flower beds, sidewalks, and gravel areas. While purslane is edible and has even been used in salads and other dishes for centuries, it has never been one of my favorites.

If you decide to remove purslane, be sure to dispose of it properly. Simply pulling it and leaving it on the ground often doesn’t solve the problem. The fleshy stems can quickly root again wherever they touch moist soil, creating a whole new plant. Instead, collect the plants in a bucket and remove them from the garden. One purslane plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds during a growing season, so a little effort now can prevent a much bigger problem later.

I’ve also been seeing chlorosis showing up on several trees and shrubs, particularly sugar maples. The symptoms are easy to recognize, leaves turn a pale yellow while the veins remain dark green. Many people assume the soil lacks iron, but that’s usually not the case. In our area, the problem is often caused by high soil pH, which ties up the iron and prevents the plant from absorbing it.

Hot, dry summer weather can make chlorosis even more noticeable. The quickest treatment is usually a foliar iron spray applied directly to the leaves. This allows the plant to absorb iron immediately and often results in greener foliage within a few weeks. However, the effects are temporary, so applications may need to be repeated every two to three weeks throughout the summer. Long-term solutions involve lowering soil pH or selecting plants better adapted to alkaline soils, but foliar treatments can help plants look healthier in the meantime.

Another thing that has caught people’s attention recently is the amount of lichens growing on tree trunks and branches. Lichens often appear as gray, green, bluish, or even orange patches that seem to be growing on the bark. Many homeowners worry that lichen is harming their trees, but that’s usually not the case.

A lichen is actually a partnership between a fungus and an alga. The fungus provides structure and protection, while the alga produces food through photosynthesis. Together, they form the unique growths we see attached to bark, rocks, fence posts, and other surfaces. A lichen does not take nutrients from the tree and is not a disease or an insect problem.

In the garden this week, received some much-needed rain last week. With that, some people received some hail. With it being early in the garden season, I would just replant those annuals and garden plants that got hit. It is early in the season, so they will produce later on.

Don’t let a lack of garden space keep you from growing fresh vegetables. Container gardening is an easy and rewarding way to enjoy homegrown produce on a patio, deck, balcony, or even a sunny driveway.

Container-grown vegetables need more frequent watering than plants growing in the ground. During hot, windy weather, you may need to water daily or even twice a day. Check the soil regularly and water when the top inch feels dry. Consistent moisture helps prevent problems such as blossom-end rot on tomatoes and bitter-tasting vegetables.

The first step is choosing the right container. Larger containers hold more soil, which means they dry out more slowly and give plant roots plenty of room to grow. Most vegetables need a container that is at least 12 inches deep, while larger crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers benefit from even bigger pots. Whatever container you choose, make sure it has drainage holes so excess water can escape.

Next, fill your containers with a quality potting mix rather than garden soil. Potting mixes are lighter, drain better, and help roots develop properly. Many mixes also contain materials that help retain moisture, which is especially important during the heat of summer.

Location matters. Most vegetables need at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day. Leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach can tolerate a little shade, but tomatoes, peppers, beans, and cucumbers perform best in full sun.

Because nutrients wash out of containers over time, regular fertilizing is important. A slow-release fertilizer mixed into the potting soil at planting time works well, and many gardeners supplement with a water-soluble fertilizer every couple of weeks throughout the growing season.

Some of the easiest vegetables for container gardening include tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, carrots, and cucumbers. Most herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, and cilantro also thrive in containers and are handy to have close to the kitchen.

Below are the herbs I am growing in 10-inch plastic pots.