Gardening tips for the 2nd week of May

Hello all you "Doers of all Things Spring", I have some helpful Gardening tips for the 2nd week of May. I hope you will find them helpful:

• Soak your seeds to wake them up...  Mother nature ensures that seeds, in the wild, don't sprout before they're supposed to. They are protected with a natural covering that slows germination. In the wild, the spring rains would wash this away, but if your seeds are out of packages you should soak them overnight in a bowl of water before planting. This will help you get a speedy germination.

• The perfect couple...Tomatoes and Basil should be planted together. Basil will help fight off tomato pests and encourage your tomatoes to grow large and juicy. Even after harvesting they still go together!

• Another great couple (no not Brad and Angelina)...Cucumbers and Corn have a great relationship. Cucumbers like the shade from the corn stalks and in return the cucumbers ward off any hungry raccoons that may be looking for a Corn-on-the-cob dinner. Cucumbers have an unpleasant smell to raccoons and other critters.

• Fire in the hole...Take a box of matches with you when you plant your peppers. Dig your hold and drop a couple of match heads in, cover them with dirt and then plant your seedlings on top. Your plants will absorb that much needed sulphur and thrive.

• If your tomatoes crack you up?...pick them early! When tomatoes absorb more water than their thickening skin can hold, they tend to crack. If you pick them early, before they are ripe (usually when they start to turn pink) and place them in a warm, dark place; they will turn red without cracking their skins.

• Fool me once and save my tomatoes...if you have a problem with birds eating your tomatoes, try using small red Christmas ornaments hanging from your plants, before they bear fruit. The birds will try pecking at them and find them to be too hard for their taste. With a little luck they will give up before your real crop shows up.

• Quick cure for Tomato blossom end rot...add calcium to your soil! Buy a small piece of Gypsum board and bury it near where the roots will grow. This will add plenty of Calcium to the soil for your plants to draw from and end your Blossom end rot problem.

Don't forget Mom this Weekend. A nice Herb Garden, a beautiful Hanging Basket or her favorite flowering plant in a unique planter. Did you know you can bring a container that you choose into Ace of Ramona's Lawn & Garden Department and they will help you pick out the perfect filler and even plant it for you.

I hope that these easy tips will help you keep your Gardens green and Bountiful!