We hope you enjoyed the suggestions in our Spring Planting Guide! It’s not too late to start a garden for your enjoyment this summer. While some would suggest that most plants should be in the ground by now, there’s still plenty of time to plant and reap the benefits of your work at your home in the Brunswick Crossing community. Whether you have a raised bed or a window tray, let’s get to planting so that you can enjoy beautiful fruits and vegetables all summer long.
- Flowers – Some flowers thrive in the warm sunshine of summer and will handle the heat well if they’re watered appropriately. As your annuals will most likely be done blooming by mid summer, adding perennials is a great way to beautify your garden. Be sure to place your flowers in a spot that’s appropriate for the variety’s need for sunshine or shade. Don’t burn out your new plants by planting them in a spot that may be visually appealing, but inappropriate for their needs. Add a pop of color to your summer lawn by planting your choice of the following:
- Marigolds
- Sunflowers
- Cosmos
- Zinnias
- Four O’Clocks
- Nasturtiums
- Tomatoes – Don’t listen to your neighbors who tell you that tomatoes should be in the ground by now. You’d be surprised by the speed that life is encouraged out of tomato plants. By this time of the year, tomato plants that you’ll purchase in stores will be larger in size with lengthy stems. It’s important to note that tomatoes get most of their nutrients from the first few inches of soil, so planting them deeper to accommodate their stems is actually working against you. Dig a shallow trench and lay your plant in, burying it up to about 6 inches are remaining with leaves and blooms. Be sure to prevent sunburn and dehydration this summer!
- Vegetables – While at this point in the season we’d recommend starting your tomatoes as plants, there are a few plants that you can start as seeds and still enjoy during the summer. Feel free to plant the following throughout June and even into early July for summer harvest:
- Cucumbers
- Beans
- Summer Squash (appropriately named)
- Winter Squash
- Pumpkins (summer is the PERFECT time to plant pumpkins!)
- Melons
- Beets
- Carrots
- Salad Mix and Herbs – Planting leafy plants and herbs this time of the year will take extra precaution, but it is doable. Simply make sure that your plants are getting the appropriate amount of water (at risk of sounding like a broken record). Try planting the following:
- Salad Mix
- Mustand
- Basil
- Marjoram
- Chives
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Sage
- Mint and other herbs.
- Take Two – Even if you did plant in early spring, make sure that you replant crops that have been used up by this time of the year. Second crops that you should consider replanting include (put aren’t limited to):
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Radishes
- Kale
- Carrots
- Mustards
Enjoy the late spring sunshine and your beautiful lawn by planting either more in your garden, or just getting a late start. The fruits (and veggies) of your labors will be enjoyed regardless of when they were planted. Early summer planting is also a great way to adjust to your new villa at Brunswick Crossing. Break in your space and put it to good use. Before long you’ll be serving up fresh fruits and vegetables at dinner parties, picnics and pot lucks.
