6 Smart Gardener Tips for Summer

3 Garden Things You Should Do in Summer

1). Fertilize Now!

A smart gardener always fertilizes in summer.

Fertilize your vegetable garden and your flower beds and shrubs with a slow-release balanced fertilizer, or a fertilizer with low nitrogen. The NPK numbers should be the same, for example, 10:10:10, or have the N (nitrogen) be the lowest of the three numbers. Most Farmers’ Co-ops stock them and they are reasonably priced. The high-nitrogen fertilizers just “green up” the plants and do very little for the harvest or the flowers. If you want to use an organic fertilizer such as those derived from chicken or turkey manure, or from fisheries, go ahead. But don’t be ashamed to use a chemical fertilizer. All the farmers use them too, just don’t overdo it.

2). Plant Your Annuals Now!

Give the birds, bees, and butterflies a reason to be in your garden. Petunias, Marigolds, Salvia, and your personal favorites will add a palette of color from now until Halloween.

If your soil has too much clay, a Tennessee curse, consider amending your soil with our Gourmet Planting Mix or with Piney Fines while planting.

3). Summer is the Time for Topsoil!

Due to seasonal rainfall, even screened and blended topsoils are often heavy, clumpy, and wet in spring. By summer, topsoil is dry, fine, and light. Spread topsoil in hot and dry conditions. Be ready for the starting gun for planting, which is Labor Day. Tip Top Soil is fine for most projects, but if your planting plans involve acid-loving plants, consider using Ultra Soil, which is more acidic.

3 Garden Things to Not Do in Summer

1). Don’t Get Rid of those Grass Clippings!

Rather than raking up grass clippings, save time and energy by using a mulching mower to let your grass clippings be your lawn’s fertilizer. Mow at four inches high, so your grass overcomes Tennessee’s prolific weeds.

2). Don’t Prune Plants Until the Dormant (Cooler) Period.

The dormant period is the best time for pruning, and it occurs from late fall until the start of spring. However, you can prune your flowering shrubs such as Azaleas and Forsythias immediately after they finish blooming. That will stimulate the plants to produce abundant flowers next spring.

3). Don’t Water Your Plants at Night.

You would think that watering at night would save on evaporation, but you may cause more harm than good. Watering at night leaves plants wet enough to cause fungus and bacteria to grow. Watering during the early part of the day allows the moisture on the plants to evaporate.

Here’s to a Great Summer… Spent in the Garden!

If you need mulch or topsoil for this season’s outdoor projects, we have the best mulch in Nashville! Simply visit our website to place an order, respond to this email, or call our office at (615) 356.2600.