Forgot to Plant Your Summer Garden?

They say to wait until after Mother’s Day to plant your summer garden because there can always be a late frost. I waited and then I waited and then I waited some more, distracted by the odds and ends that life threw at me. Perhaps the same thing happened to you. Take heart! It is not too late to get some kind of a garden in. Vegetables that depend on cooler temperatures as seedlings are probably out of the question at this point but some hardy varieties can still be planted as fair sized starts and they will take hold. Flowers are more forgiving. At this point those old standby annuals can still be planted from seed and have a good chance of giving you flowers to share. Some annuals like cosmos, sweet Williams, marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers, calendulas and coreopsis are so sturdy that you can’t keep them from growing and you can’t even kill them with a meat ax once they take root.

You can buy seeds at any nursery, hardware store or even Walmart and the Dollar Store. Starts are mostly sold at nurseries and they really do give you a head start. Naturally you pay extra for plants that are already growing but you have the advantage of knowing what you’re getting and the time saved. Some good local nurseries include, Cloverdale Nursery 216 S. Cloverdale Blvd. in Cloverdale, Whispering Winds 1575 S. State in Ukiah, Spare Time Garden Center 208 E. San Francisco, Willits, Willits Garden Supply 1611 S. Main Willits, Mendocino Garden Shop 44720 Main St. Mendocino, Hare Creek Nursery Fort Bragg 32461 State Hwy. 20, North Star Nursery 17901 CA Hwy. 1 Ft. Bragg, Emerisa Gardens 555 Irwin Lane Santa Rosa, Imwalle Gardens 685 3rd St. Santa Rosa, Harmony Farm Supply 3244 Gravenstein Hwy. N. Sebastopol, Luther Burbank Experiment Station 7777 Bodega Ave. Sebastopol, Occidental Arts and Ecology 15290 Coleman Valley Rd. Occidental and Cottage Gardens of Petaluma 3995 Emerald Dr. Petaluma. 

For inspiration on many plant based resources check out the new 2023 Farm Trails Sonoma County 2023 guide at FarmTrails.org.

To get ready to garden have the following supplies on hand: shovel, pick (optional), leather gloves, good snippers, long sleeve shirt, garden hat with wide brim, a long hose or several short ones screwed together, a gentle screw-on spray top for the hose, a bag of flour and jam jars for the bouquets of flowers you will be giving to all your friends.

Here’s a foolproof method for late (and speedy) seed planting. Buy some good soil — either by the bag or shoveled into your truck or someone else’s truck and delivered to your garden or buy soil by the bag if you have no truck. I like DenBeste in Cloverdale 26916 Asti Road who will mix soils to your specification and deliver (for a fee) or Soil King 320 Santana Drive also in Cloverdale where you can buy big bags of their Big Rootz potting soil. 

Other soil resources include Anderson Valley Farm Supply 7050 Hwy. 128 Philo, 3-D Organic Solutions in Ukiah 3450 North State St. and Hydro Pacific Garden Supply in Ukiah 351 Hastings Ave. Important to start with good soil; just breaking up the “dirt” in your yard will lead to skimpy results.

Pick a spot in your yard with plenty of sun for most of the day but some shade time too, to avoid cooking the plants. Water this spot deeply to soften dirt then using a pick or shovel break up the clods and pull whatever vegetation is already in there out. Let the area dry out a bit until it is no longer muddy and crumble the dirt into smaller chunks using your pick, shovel and hands. Now sprinkle half of your good soil over the dirt. Take your seeds or your plant starts and plant according to directions on packet or pot. Sprinkle the other half of your good soil on top of the seeds to the depth suggested on the packet- this is not too fussy- just make sure the seed is covered. After planting I use my feet to step firmly over newly planted areas to cinch the soil up tight against the seeds or against stems and leaves of the plant starts. Leaving air pockets where water can collect will encourage rot. Sprinkle flour over the areas you have planted so you know not to plant seeds on top of already planted areas. With a hose that has a gentle showerhead thoroughly soak the newly planted area to let everything settle in. You want to water every day on new plantings and also on new seedlings when they start to come up. If everything dries out it will kill all your hard work.

This “quickie” system avoids rototilling and double digging which while very advantageous is so labor intensive that many never attempt to plant anything at all. Believe me if you stick with the hardier flowers and veggies they will perform for you even if your prep is a bit slap-dash. If you like butterflies this is a list of flowers that butterflies love: Abelia, Azalea, Butterfly Bush, Buttonbush, Honeysuckle, Lantana, Lilac, Spicebush, Sweet Pepperbush and Viburnum. Bees love Borage, Lavender, Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susan, Poppies, Lupine and Marigold. Hummingbirds like Columbine, Sunflowers, Salvias, Fuchias, Delphinium and anything with a narrow opening to the center of the flower.

Additional tips: Mint is a very aromatic plant that grows well (some would say too well) plant by itself in an area where it can spread if it wants to. Aside from the mint juleps and mojitos you’ll be making, mint makes a wonderful green base for jam jar bouquets. The leaves are vibrantly green, the stems are on the stiff side helping to structure a bouquet and the scent of the leaves is refreshing. If you keep it watered it will last all summer. If you do have existing roses in your yard keep them well watered for blooms all summer. Roses also make a good base for small bouquets with their always-beautiful blossoms, scent and greenery. Floppier garden flowers with thin stems like cosmos, coreopsis, and calendula like the stiffer stems to lean against; it keeps them from drooping. If you notice that bugs are eating your plants, flowers or veggies chances are that your plants are stressed. A stressed plant sends out the message: “Come and get me and eat me fast I’m going, going gone.” To avoid this make sure your plants are well watered and trim dead or dying foliage off. If you want to give your plants a boost mid-season sprinkle the soil around them with the fertilizer of your choice. I also sprinkle alfalfa pellets mid-season to give them a veggie treat.

Good luck in getting your garden in just under the wire. When you see the smiles on the faces of the people you give your hard earned blooms or veggies to it will make it worth the effort for sure. The best thing that sometimes happens is someone will tell you. “You really made my day”!