Harvest outer leaves of leafy greens with sharp scissors to extend plant productivity. Thin miniature lettuce clumps by pulling or cutting every other clump. Lettuce heads will continue to grow into the new space you create.
Continue to harvest that asparagus for a couple more weeks.
I changed my mind and planted the tomatoes. Cilantro is growing, as are tomato seedlings from the compost that I spread four weeks ago. I think this soil was warm enough.
I transplanted cucumber seedlings and set up a trellis at the same time. The seedlings have a few true leaves each. They are ready to grow. The trellis poles came from my distracted pruning of arborvitae last week. At the end of the season, I can compost the jute twine and spent cucumber vines, but the poles should last multiple seasons. I love when I can repurpose what the gardens offer.
After planting a few containers and vegetables amid the chilly mist last weekend, planting dahlias turned into too much work. That task will wait for one more weekend. I plant them in plastic pots, then set those pots into larger containers. This strategy makes it easier to lift the bulbs out for storage in fall, and it reduces the volume of potting soil needed. Around the inner dahlia pots, I fill the large containers with last fall’s dead leaves about two-thirds up to the brim. I layer potting mix on top for planting colorful annuals while I wait for the dahlias to show themselves.
I have more containers that I want to fill and use as a barrier around my deck’s edge. I will plant some herbs like verbena, basil, and nasturtium. But I could also plant bush-type beans, patio tomatoes, or cucumbers. Many vegetables now have smaller varieties to grow in limited spaces. Check the mature size on the seed packet. Though a dwarf variety, one plant per pot may be the limit.
Many floral scents are at their peak after sunset. If you have a screened porch or patio where you like to spend summer evenings, plant fragrant summer-blooming shrubs nearby, like mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) or the annual flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata).
Invasive honeysuckles—Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), and Bell’s honeysuckle (Lonicera x bella) and vining Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)—have overrun disturbed roadsides and unmanaged forests. They send out their scent seductively all day. The invasive honeysuckle shrub is a drug to our birds and insects. It is all allure and no substance. The animals get no benefit from the pollen and fruit. It passes through their digestive systems with great speed, and the seed spreads all over. Remove any seedlings you find (soft, fuzzy oval leaves occurring opposite on twigs) and cut back the sprouts from stumps before they fruit. Try planting native flowering shrubs like Viburnum dentatum or V. trilobum. Or for the scent, plant the western U.S. native, Philadelphus lewisii.
Too much moss in the lawn might be a matter of opinion. Moss is soft underfoot and interesting to look at with no mowing required. Moss may indicate other problems like wet and compacted soil that needs better drainage (to avoid flooding your home). If moss seems to outcompete the grass in a shady, damp area. Be a lazy Berkshire gardener and let it be.
Now that spring perennials have been flowering, I ventured into the flower borders to weed and nurture a few new plantings. Of course, with the flowers opening, insect eggs have hatched. Multiple caterpillars and beetles visited me while I weeded around. Most appeared singly and I didn’t worry too much about them. However, I noticed my red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) had curled leaves on the growing tips and blackening flowers. Closer inspection revealed aphids and their ant herders. Ants encourage and protect aphids. The aphids suck plant juices and excrete a sweet liquid that ants eat. What is not eaten blackens the stems of the infected plant.
Maybe one caterpillar can be ignored, but a mature beetle can lay hundreds of eggs. Inspect true lilies (Lilium asiatica and Lilium orientale) for bright-red lily leaf beetles and destroy them on sight. Inspect the undersides of leaves for orange or brown oval eggs in patterns like too many forward slash marks. Scrape any you find into soapy water. I saw my first asparagus beetle last weekend. Yes, I killed it.
Not all insects will cause problems, and some may be beneficial. Anything new I find, I will take a photo and use my phone to try and identify it. I found the larva of a butterfly on my chokeberry (Aronia) but no damage. It is plain, tan, about one inch long, and moved like an inchworm. It blended into the twig so well that I thought it was a twig—better to avoid birds, I guess. I decided to leave it alone. I found a brilliant white moth in a sunny spot on my pottery that fooled me into thinking it was construction debris. It was a salt marsh moth (Estigmene acrea) with cool black spots. When its wings opened up, I saw its striking orange abdomen. They can be a pest of vegetables if the caterpillars hatch too close to crops, but they also feed on weedy plants. Results? Neither friend nor foe. I let this one go. While planting my tomatoes, a curious buzzing insect scurried across the soil surface and dug in. It was an adult bumble flower beetle (Euphoria inda). Bumble flower beetle larvae help break down organic matter, essentially making compost. This one is beneficial!
Finally, my garden helper reminded me that I could save some planting for another day by squeezing herself amid the flowers, the watering can, the stool, and the weed pile. She positioned herself where she couldn’t be ignored. Time to stop.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
