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2720 Highway 32, Chico, California 95973
530-893-4531 Swing into summer with strawberry picking, herb and vegetable planting, and more ways to make the most of the season
As temperatures climb and summer beds start to come into their own, California gardeners can begin to enjoy the fruits of their efforts. Strawberries are ready for harvesting this month, along with young cucumbers and herbs like parsley, basil, chives and tarragon. If you didn’t have a chance to plant warm-season vegetables, herbs or flowers this spring — you’re not too late. Here’s what to plant, pick and plan for this month.
Plant summer crops. Early in the month, you still have time to plant warm-season favorites like tomatoes, sweet corn, squashes, beans, eggplants and peppers. Pick up seedlings at the nursery or sow seeds of quick growers like corn or squashes. Put seedlings or seeds in well-amended beds that receive four to six hours of sunlight.
Grow sunflowers from seed. These sunny bloomers are some of the easiest and most rewarding plants to start from seed. Rake a section of a garden bed clear, then poke seeds down about an inch before covering with soil. Keep the bed consistently moist until sprouts emerge and grow into seedlings.
If you don’t have room in garden beds, add seeds of dwarf varieties, such as Elves Blend or ‘Munchkin’, in containers.
Plant culinary herbs. For a quick afternoon project, refresh your herb box. Choose a mix of herbs that you most often use in the kitchen, like basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, parsley and oregano, then plant them in a single large container or medium-size individual containers. If you plan on growing mint, plant it in its own pot — it tends to take over growing space with underground suckers when planted with others. Most herbs thrive with four to six hours of sun and consistent water.
Protect fruit trees. Cover fruit trees like apricots, plums, peaches and nectarines that are all beginning to ripen this month with bird netting to prevent unripe fruit from being carried off by squirrels or pecked by birds. You can either drape the bird netting over the entire tree or around single branches that are heavy with fruit.
Pinch back basil. Basil plants are quick growers and can get leggy if you don’t cut them back regularly. Stems grow with alternating pairs of leaves. Once plants form about six pairs of leaves on a single stem, they’ll be encouraged to flower. To discourage flowering (we grow basil for the pungent leaves and not for the blooms, after all), pinch right above a pair of leaves midway up a stem. The plant will form two new stem shoots where you pinch. You’ll be left with a bushier plant and a frequent excuse to make pesto.
Enjoy meals outside. If you haven’t already done so this spring, dust off your outdoor dining table and eat your next meal in the open air. As it starts to get warmer, consider investing in a shade structure or having a few sun umbrellas on hand to block rays.
Check (or set up) irrigation systems. Before temperatures really heat up, make sure you have a reliable watering system for garden beds. Raised beds, containers and beds that receive six or more hours of sunshine all dry out quickly and will need a steady irrigation supply. Hook up a drip irrigation system or snake a soaker hose among plants — both systems are relatively easy to set up, particularly when plants are young.
Tweak your irrigation timer to water enough to keep beds moist when plants are young, and dial back the water supply once plants are more established. Two times a week for 30 to 45 minutes is a good ballpark number for mature vegetable beds in full sun.
Plant for pollinators. When you’re picking out new summer flowers to add to beds, choose ones that support your native pollinators as well.
Flowering perennials native to California, such as Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii) and California lilac (Ceanothus spp.), are a great place to start. Other low-water flowering plants like rosemary, lavender, yarrow, sage and penstemon also help support bees, butterflies, other beneficial insects and pollinating birds, and they add color to garden beds from now until fall.
Set up a compost bin. If you don’t already have one, it’s worth setting up a system for composting lawn clippings, weeds (sans seed heads), dried leaves, kitchen scraps and plants pulled from spring beds. A three-bin system is an ideal setup for turning the compost pile and speeding up the decomposition process. If you don’t have much space, a single bin (or just a pile on the ground) works well too. Either way, within a few months, your green waste will have transformed into a nutrient-rich amendment for the garden.
See how to grow strawberries