Come and Get It

 

May 2023

Pickaway to Garden

Come and Get It

By Paul Hang

 

 

May is Garden for Wildlife Month. I don’t mean to sound cynical but, don’t we garden for wildlife every month? If we mean by wildlife bugs and insects in addition to the usual critters, then certainly every month we garden we are doing it for wildlife whether we do it intentionally or not.

 

A lot of us would like to keep wildlife in our gardens to a minimum, whether in our vegetable gardens or our flower beds. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and ground hogs can ruin a gardening season. Even birds, dogs and cats can qualify, not to mention caterpillars, aphids etc. Of course, there is the neighbor who always knows when we are not at home. Thankfully, most of us don’t have to contend with all of these all of the time. But when we do have to, one or two or some for a time, it can be less than inspiring.

 

Deer, of course, will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough. They absolutely love tulips and hostas and it is discouraging to see them tasting the blossoms of daylilies only to spit out those that don’t meet their gourmet palates. You can look up lists of “plants deer tend to avoid.” They will mention plants with strong scents and tastes as well as fuzzy or prickly leaves. The only sure way to keep them away is a fence, electric or 8 feet tall.

 

Squirrels and raccoons seem to have an appetite for tomatoes and corn. Most fences can’t keep these acrobats from sampling a bite or two out of seemingly every fruit and ear. Tomatoes will ripen if picked just as a blush of pink appears. Like bulls, squirrels are attracted to the red of ripe tomatoes. Rabbits munch on leafy vegetables and the young shoots of just about everything in the vegetative kingdom. They say a fence just 18 inches high can foil their case of the munchies.

 

Probably the most destructive of all is the ground hog. They can burrow and they can climb. Yes, you can occasionally drive by a field and see a ground hog sitting on a fence post or up a tree. They seem to be omnivorous when it comes to being herbivorous. For a lot of these four legged critters trapping or a 22 caliber solution seems appropriate but both pose legal and safety hazards. I think it depends on where you live and garden.

 

Birds like to eat our berries and cherries, sample other fruits and crops. Loud intermittent noises, fluttering sparkly things, “big eye” balloons work, for a while. Nets help but pose a hazard for other critters. Dogs and cats seem to have some favorite foods or dig for other reasons. Keeping them indoors or on a leash helps. One of the most effective deterrents to wildlife in our gardens is not repellents but a physical barrier. I have found row covers to help. Agricultural row covers come in different weights. They let in light and water but keep out most critters.

 

Row covers even keep out bugs and insects, which can pose a problem. If your “crop” is being raised for its flowers or a fruit and seed or pod (ornamental flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peas) it must be pollinated and so, when in flower, the cover must be removed. If your crop is being raised for a bud, stalk, leaf, root, tuber or bulb (broccoli, celery, lettuce, carrot, potatoes, onion) it does not need to be pollinated and so the cover can remain.

 

I don’t intentionally garden for most wildlife. I do raise native plants for those critters that rely on them. Some people raise a garden for themselves and one for wildlife. If I had the room I might try that. Until then, I will remain undercover and try to coexist.

 

The Master Gardener Volunteers are having their Plant Sale on May 20, 9am-1pm in the parking lot at the Pickaway County Library on N. Court St. Lots of plants, including heirloom tomatoes, are for sale. Our Helpline can be reached by calling the OSU Extension Office at 740-474-7534.

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

Everything! The merry, merry month of May is a busy one. You can direct-seed corn, beans, potatoes, melons, cucumbers and squash. Place cheesecloth or row cover cloth over vines until they bloom. With any luck you will have prevented the cucumber beetles from invading the plants. This also works on the caterpillars of cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.

 

You can set out tomato, pepper and eggplant plants if the soil is warm (60 degrees). There is still a chance of frost but each week the chances become less and less. Be prepared to cover those tender plants if frost threatens. Don't be tempted to over-fertilize tomatoes, extra nitrogen will delay ripening and produce more vine than fruit. Remember tomatoes can be planted deep with the top few branches of leaves above ground. Roots will form along the buried stem. If you stake your tomatoes put the stakes in before you plant. Consider pruning your tomatoes and peppers.

 

If you plan to put houseplants outside for the summer, a period of transitioning to the new environment will help assure their health and vigor. Fertilize and place in the shade. You can divide and move perennials. As the soil warms (50 degrees) you can plant summer-flowering bulbs such as caladiums, cannas, dahlias, and gladioluses. You can begin spraying roses for black spot following the directions on the product.

 

Cut the seed pods off your lilacs (after the blooms fade), but do not prune the stems. If your lilacs are getting overgrown and leggy, cut a third of the old stems this year at the ground. Do this to a third next year and the final third the year after that. This way you will rejuvenate the bushes. Stake or cage floppy perennials like peonies. For bigger peonies, remove small buds near the larger ones.

 

Thin apples, peaches and other tree fruit (not cherries) to a fruit every six inches. Remember "June drop." It is a time when fruit trees rid themselves of excess fruit. This is a natural process. Pines can be pruned back. Cut just half of new “candle” growth.

 

Mulch your beds after the soil has warmed. When you set out those tender plants protect against cutworms that can chew off new transplants. Use collars of aluminum foil, plastic, cardboard or other material to encircle the stem. The collars should extend into the soil an inch and above an inch or two. There are pesticides that can help control these pests (Google "cutworms extension”). I have also placed a toothpick in the ground right next to the plant stem with success.

 

This is a busy time for pollinators. When you spot a bug identify it before reaching for the spray. Fully 97% of the bugs in our gardens are beneficial or of no threat. Singular bugs are almost always beneficial predators. Crowds are often pests. Know your enemy! Finally, it’s not how fast you mow but how high. Mow at least 3 inches high for a healthy lawn.