Garden checklist for June

Hi, I haven't posted in awhile. Just too busy getting my garden in shape. Here is the checklist for June.

• Tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings can be planted outside now in NJ.
• Continue planting warm weather crops such as vegetables, herbs and flowers.
• Mulch bedding and vegetable gardens to a 3 inch depth to maintain even moisture and to control weeds.
• Fertilize rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas immediately after flowering. Now is the time to prune these, if needed.
• Check plants for insects and control as needed. All insects are not necessarily harmful. check with your local agricultural extension for help in identification and control.
• Dig and divide spring perennials after flowering.
• If you move houseplants outdoors, be sure their containers have drainage holes.
• If spring rain is deficient, water new landscape plants to 1 inch per week.
• Check for black spot and powdery mildew on roses and treat accordingly.
• Japanese beetles can be picked by hand and drowned in soapy water.

Happy Gardening

It's time to get seeds planted indoors

Starting Your Seeds Think clean if you plan to raise your own garden plants from seed. The dreaded damping-off fungus disease lurks in containers that haven't been thoroughly disinfected and in used potting media. In you are using last year's flats and cell packs, wash them with hot water and some bleach. Be sure to buy sterilized seed started. Fill your containers to about a half-inch from the top, then moisten the mix. If using a community pot, sprinkle the seeds on top, spacing them evenly, then cover as directed on the seed packet and spray them with tepid water to bring the seeds into good contact with the medium. Cover the container with a clear cover. Keep the medium moist but not soggy. If you are planting in 1 inch cells, use one or two seeds per cell, then remove the weakest one after germination. If using 3 inch cells, sow three seeds per cell, keeping the strongest one. Follow the directions on the seed packet for light exposure and temperature. Tender seedlings can be set outdoors in the sun, then brought indoors at night. Before the seedlings are to be planted in the garden, harden them off, whether you grew them or they came from a nursery. A cold frame is the ideal place, where they are covered and protected at night. Prepare your garden beds using fertilizer as shown by a soil test, plus lime, to bring the pH to that mandated by the plant, and compost or peat moss for organic matter. Seeds marked to plant out as early in the spring as the ground can be worked can be planted when the soil is no longer soggy and won't clump when worked. Be sure that danger of frost is past. Don't rush the season, If plants are chilled, time is wasted before they regain their vigor.