This week on our gardening guide podcast, we have an exciting lineup of tasks focused on summer planting tips, pest control methods, and a special announcement. Tune in for expert advice on maximizing your harvest, troubleshooting common issues in the garden, and creative ideas. Don't miss out on our insights to help you keep your garden thriving this season. Stay informed and inspired with our latest podcast episode.

Congratulations to our Mother’s Day Gift Card Winner, Tina Morehead!

Dig Deeper

Episode Transcript

Hi John Morgan here with The Keep Growing Podcast.  Your source for weekly weather and a planting guide for the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Up first we have a winner to announce.  I used Grok, X’s AI to pick a random number at … well … random out of the 345 entries. It picked number 237 which corresponds to Tina Morehead in our list of entries.  Congratulations Tina!  Also, this was the first time we let AI pick the winner.  I will embed the X thread in the show notes.  Now let’s dig into the week ahead.

We’re looking at a wet weekend with daytime temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.  Then going into next week we’ll dry out and heat up until a cold front and storms arrive mid-week.  Then it currently looks like we’ll warm up again heading into next weekend.  However, if the forecast holds, next weekend is looking dryer.

Today, Saturday, May 18th, even though it is wet, it is a good time to install row covers to keep insects off of cabbage and broccoli.  Just keep in mind that if you grow a Victory-style Garden, you’ll want to avoid packing down the soil on wet days.  That’s one of the many benefits of raised beds is that they are more accessible on wet spring days.

On Monday, May 20th, Prune azaleas, viburnum, lilac, and forsythia after they have finished blooming.  Right now rhododendron are in full bloom … obviously, don’t prune them.

Tuesday, May 21st, begin control measures for cucumber beetle.  Yellow sticky traps work well for this.  I also recommend Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew.  It is an all natural pesticide derived from a toxin produced by a type of bacteria.

On Wednesday, May 22nd, Plant eggplant and also, it that time to give your compost a turn to keep it cooking.

Thursday, May 23rd, is this month’s full moon.  It’s also an excellent time o get spooky and plant your Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins. … Did you know Ohio is one of the top pumpkin growers in the US.  In 2023 the Buckeye state grew 40,000 tons!

Friday, May 24th, is a great time to plant an herb garden.  I’ll add a link in the show notes with a recent blog post about planting an herb garden specific to our region. …  This next suggestion for now might be a bit controversial, but some gardeners swear by it.  That is pruning your tomatoes at first blooming.  The idea is that by removing the first blooms of the season, you keep that plant from wasting energy and in turn get a stronger plant.

Finally, we have Saturday, May 25th, along the same lines it is time to start staking and tying your tomatoes.  Personally, I’m a fan of the Florida Weave.  I’ll add a video about this method to the show notes too.  Also, if you’re so inclined, now is he time to trellis cucumbers. (See what I did there?  Inclined, like a cucumber trellis. LOL)

On that note, I’ll end this week’s episode.  Make sure you head over to the show notes at bobsmarket.com/keepgrowing for all of the supplemental material this week and a transcript of the episode, and, of course, until next time, keep growing.