Lawn and Garden Care for June

Hello everyone, and happy Sunday!  All of us at Garden Supply would like to wish you dedicated, hard-working, fabulous dad's out there a wonderful Father's Day.

The greatest gift I ever had Came from God; I call him Dad! ~Author Unknown

We appreciate each and every one of you!

Also a big thank-you to everyone who attended our Annual Auction yesterday. We had a wonderful turn-out, lots of lovely garden items up for auction, and food and fun for everyone. A good time was had by all, and we couldn't have done it without you.

Today I would like to share with you a few care tips for your June lawn and gardens. For those with fescue grass, June is the month to treat and prevent brown patch which appears as a browning area in the lawn typically in the summer months when conditions are favorable. Brown patch is caused by a fungus, and if your lawn is showing signs, you will need to treat with a fungicide. We recommend that you apply Hi-Yield Lawn Fungicide to prevent brown patch.  Two applications may be necessary if rain has been heavy.

While brown patch does cause patches of dead grass, other things can cause the same symptoms. If the area is poorly drained and water stands on a spot for more than 24 hours, the grass roots will rot, causing a dead patch. Also, in areas where the sod has rooted poorly, brown patches will develop as dry weather sets in. So what are the true symptoms of the disease? True brown patch spots are small to begin with but in warm weather they can enlarge rapidly. Seen from above, the patch will look like a doughnut - a ring of tan grass having a patch of green grass in the center. Individual grass blades will be brown down to the crown - where the blade emerges from the ground - but the crown will be green. Early in the morning during hot, damp weather you might see a white fungal web at the edge of the dead grass patch.

Never water in the evening. The best time to water is in early morning. Fescue is much more susceptible when it has lush, green growth plus warm nighttime temperatures.  The second step is to water at the right time. Since brown patch needs 14-16 hours of wet leaf surface to reproduce itself, water only after the dew has dried in the morning. An alternative is to water after nightfall. Since the grass is wet with dew anyway, watering in the dark does not unnecessarily extend the wet period.

So what if you have brown areas in your sod or planting beds due to poor rooting mixed with our hot summer temperatures? We have help for that, too.  Garden Supply owner,Keith Ramsey, recommends treating with Drought Defense by Soil Logic to reduce water consumption and enhance growth.

Drought Defense reduces the amount of water needed to irrigate lawns, groundcovers, trees, and other plants. This soil moisture management product helps prevent plant-available water from evaporating or draining past the root zone.  It is super-concentrated, long-lasting, helps lower watering bills and is safe for use on fruit and vegetable plants.  Drought Defense is environmentally friendly and is safe for use around children and pets.

This easy-to-use concentrate is ready to go.  Simply connect the sprayer to your hose and spray evenly over measured area.  Be sure to irrigate all treated areas after application to wash the product into the soil.  After two applications of the product, normal watering time and quantity can be reduced up to 50%!

For those of you with warm-season grasses like Bermuda, Centipede and Zoysia, June is the time for over-seeding your bare spots and laying down an application of fertilizer.

We have everything you need down at the Garden Center, and our experts are standing by with answers to all your lawn care questions.  Stop by and pay us a visit and get your June lawns and garden looking in tip-top shape in no time.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I'll be back soon with more snippets from the garden.

Tomato Lovers

Tomato lovers, have we got plants for you!  With the huge variety of tomatoes we have down at Garden Supply, from teeny-tiny cherries to grandiose Beefsteaks and everything in between, there is sure to be something for every gardener and culinary taste out there.  We have all your popular favorites, as well as harder to find heirlooms, in a large range of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Amish Paste, Moonglow, Beefsteak, Hungarian Heart, Kelloggs Breakfast, Cherokee, Pineapple Hawaiian, Mexico Midget, Celebrity, Lemon Boy, 'Juliet Hybrid', Better Boy, Roma, Patio, German Johnson, Grape, and Sweet 100s..we've got them all down at the garden center.

We also have everything you'll need to grow bigger, more abundant tomato plants from potting soils, soil amender, compost and mulch to slow release tomato fertilizer to several problem-solving planting containers for those with little or no yard space.

The Bosmere Tomato Planter Bag is ideal for decks, patios, and balconies.  No need for a garden.  No digging required!  The planter can hold 1 or 2 plants, depending on type and variety of tomato chosen.

Another unique planting option is the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter, which allows you to grow delicious vegetables right outside your door.  The planter hangs on decks, balconies or patios and eliminates the need for weeding, caging and staking.  With the Topsy Turvy, you can grow fresh tomatoes in 3 easy steps:

1. Put the plants into the ports 2. Put soil in the bag 3. Add water in the top

I was so curious about the idea of this unusual growing method, that I've decided to try the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter myself.   Topsy Turvy's statement that this planter will solve nearly every problem associated with tomato culture sounds too good to not give a try.  "No more soil to prepare, holes to dig, cages, stakes, typing up, wedding, no more on-your-knees work and no more ground animals, insects, fungus, bacteria or nematodes".  By golly, I'm excited to see how it works!

I've decided to try two planters with two different varieties of tomato.  For my experiment, I've chosen a smaller species, the Grape tomato, as well as a medium-sized grower, the Patio tomato.  The Topsy Turvy planter comes with a helpful gardening tips guide and step-by-step instructions.  I was able to quickly and easily set up the planters on my own.

Over the next few months, I'll share with you my results and observations  utilizing this unusual growing planter.  I do have to admit to being charmed so far.  A few tips I can pass along from the installation stage are to be sure to hang your planter from a very secure location, as the bag becomes quite heavy once the soil is added.  Also, find a small plant to get started, preferably one in a 6-pack cell, as the bottom insertion opening of the planter is not very wide.  I had to manipulate my 4" potted tomatoes to get them to fit through, which can cause damage to the fragile plant if you're not careful.

The Topsy Turvy also grows other vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplants, and more.  Look for our Topsy Turvy strawberry planter and hot pepper planter, as well as the tomato planter, in the Greenhouse.

Besides tomatoes, we have quite a few other summer growing vegetables in stock  including yellow squash, sweet bell peppers, 'long red slim'  cayenne peppers, red sweet peppers, 'sweet banana' peppers, and jalapenos.

And we also have received an absolutely gorgeous shipment of sweet basil.

I'm heading back to the garden center for a couple of these beauties today! ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope to see you all down at Garden Supply soon, and I'll catch you back here tomorrow for more snippets from the garden.