While the weather has been somewhat cool with cold nights the first week of May, unusual it is not. What is unusual is that most areas here have not experienced a severe frost which may be creating a sense of “planting” security for more inexperienced gardeners. Normally, the last for sure frost free date for northern Ohio is May 30th which about 2 weeks earlier for southern Ohio. While seeds and cold tolerant vegetable plants such as broccoli and cauliflower should go in now, tomatoes and peppers are better planted at least after the middle of May.
In the greenhouse we had a very localized infestation of an insect called a thrip which we were able to wipe out over a two week period by isolating the plants and treating them. This nasty insect can quickly get out of control and ruin flowers and even kill plants. Our scouting program in which we search for insect, disease and spider mites makes it possible to react quickly to get the problem under control as one of the worst aggravations for a customer is to have purchased plants with bugs!
With Mother’s Day weekend coming up and expected beautiful weather, the nursery should be quite busy so that we’ve opened up at least 20 more parking places and have extra help on hand to help customers load their vehicles. The month of May is everyone’s favorite gardening month as the cooler weather, usual sunshine and the incredible beauty of spring is on display that excites everyone. Almost 100 years ago, the spring was much cooler as photos of the old farm house dated May 10, 1923 show children standing on the north side of the barn with their winter coats and boots on which appears to be at least 6 inches of snow! It is unlikely we’ll experience anything like a deep snow in May although I’m not betting on a frost free may either. Let’s just enjoy the weather whether it’s rain or shine.
As we all know, gardening can be addictive but as always. It beats watching television!
Tom
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