Gardening by the Moon Weekend To-Do
An idea as old as agriculture, based both folklore and superstition but there are scientific ideas to back it up.
- Lunar Phase: Full Moon, Tuesday, June 14
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Scorpio - Seasonal color, and tomatoes
- Tomatoes can be hand-pollinated by flicking each bloom during the warmest part of the day. Holding onto their cages and giving them a good shake or too pollinate larger plants in cages. The pollen is naturally sticky and this helps it to spread.
Later in the Week
- Monday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Sagittarius/Capricorn - Harvest, cultivate, weed, and plant fruit trees
- You should be able to find a selection of peaches, plums apple cherries, and others at your favorite garden center. When selecting multiple varieties be sure to check the ripen date so you don’t have them all ripen at the same time.
Other Things To-do
- June is the last month to fertilize turf until after Labor Day. Fertilizing during July and August is discouraged as fungus problems can develop from the lush growth.
- Bonide Wilt Stop helps prevent leaf scorch on Japanese Maples. It's best applied in the morning before a heat spell. Cloud Cover/Wilt Stop coats the leaf with a clear membrane that reduces the excessive loss of moisture through evaporation on hot days. It's best thought of as a ‘Chap Stick’ for plants.
- Valencia Orange should be ripe; however, taste test one for sweetness. If sour, let them hang on the tree as they will sweeten up in time.