Early summer gardening jobs to do. One is weed, weed, weed. Here are some other things to do.

image from fiskars.com 

      Good morning, the sun is out and a blue sky this morning.  We got rain last night but there were no storms here.  The storms were in southern Minnesota.  Interesting picture of the tornado that was full of rain, so hard to see it.  Another day predicted severe thunderstorms with wind, and heavy rains.  It is going to warm up with the sun shining so that it will add fuel to that formula.  Stay cool, stay safe. 

Australia family and friends are talking about it being cold, and nasty.  Golf didn’t happen to our family as it was too cold, but they enjoyed being in the club house. Friday June 26 will have a low of 44F(6C). high 57F(14C)  It is the start of their winter.  Stay warm, stay safe.

I noticed the last advice Robin gives us for summer garden work…weed, weed, weed.  I know that isn’t the favorite thing to do.  Here are some other things to do. 

Garden Tips and Tricks for the Early Summer Garden by Robin Sweetser
For many gardeners, the 4th of July is a seasonal deadline to complete a bunch of garden chores. From cutting back perennials to replacing early crops, see what to do in the garden this week!
Cut the garlic scapes! Mine started to twirl every year right at the time of the Solstice. By cutting them off as soon as possible, the plant will direct its energy into making bigger bulbs. Plus, the scapes are a delicious early summer treat in any recipe that calls for green onions or garlic. They make a great pesto, too, even without basil.
Prune spring-blooming shrubs such as forsythia, lilacs, weigela, viburnums, daphne, quince, and deutzia by mid-July at the latest. If you do it any later, you will cut off next spring’s blossoms.
Do the Chelsea Chop! To keep fall bloomers like asters, mums, and phlox shorter and more full and inspire them to produce double the number of flowers, cut the plants back by half. Doing it before the 4th of July will give the plants time to form new growth and extra blossoms.
Fertilize. By the 4th of July, give shrubs and perennials the last side-dressing of compost, rotten manure, or fertilizer. This will give any new growth time to harden off before frost.
Replace early crops. Most spring vegetables, such as bok choy, radishes, peas, lettuce, and spinach, have been harvested by early July. Pull them out and make room for some new plants. In most areas, there is still time to plant more beans, summer squashes, and cukes. Seeds should germinate fast in the warm soil. Check your first frost date and add an extra two weeks for fruits to mature since light and heat will start to wane as fall approaches.
Lettuce may be hard to germinate in hot soil so I start the plants inside in summer.
Start seeds of lettuce, chard, and brassicas, including broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, bok choy, and other Asian greens, to have plants ready to pop into beds as they empty. They love the cooler days of late summer and early fall and will be productive until a hard frost.
The following chores don’t have a time limit. They can be tackled whenever you can get to them, but the sooner, the better.
Thin the beets and carrots if you haven’t done so already. They need to have room to develop those big fat roots you are craving. If you have an open bed, plant more of these to mature in the fall.
This peony will look much better after the dead blossoms have been cut off.
Tidy up the spring bloomers. Cut back the iris stalks, pull out tulip and daffodil foliage once it has turned brown and died back, and deadhead the peonies by cutting back to the next set of 5 leaves on the stem.
Speaking of deadheading, remove spent blossoms from rhododendrons, azaleas, and lilacs to make way for new growth
Yank those invasives before they gain a foothold! Oriental bittersweet and black swallow-wort are two twining vines that will strangle any plant they decide to climb. Get rid of them before they have a chance to blossom and set seed. They are on just about every state’s list of invasive plants.
Pinch the tomato suckers. You can leave the bottom two suckers on the plant because they will produce fruit but remove the rest as they form in each leaf axil up the stem. This will keep the plant from becoming too bushy and blocking light from reaching developing fruit.
Add mulch and weed, weed, weed!
Summer is here! Make the most of it!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/12-early-summer-chores-what-do-garden-now
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 Beckygreenhouse.com Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse