Page 11 - June Newswatch

June Gardening For Our Area
Dan Gill, The Times-Picayune garden columnist Heat-tolerant vegetables that can be planted in June
include collards, cucuzzi, eggplant, hot pepper, luffa, Malabar spinach, mirliton, New Zealand spinach, okra, peanut, pumpkin, Southern peas, edible soybeans, squash and sweet potato (use “slips” or rooted cuttings).
Herbs that may be planted now include basil, perilla, sesame, mints, oregano, lemon balm, lemon verbena, mountain mint, Mexican oregano, garlic chives, rosemary, bergamot, hyssop, Mexican tarragon, yarrow, burnet and rue.
Keep up with jobs such as weeding, mulching and staking plants. It’s far easier to do these jobs a little at a time than to get behind and have to make a major effort.
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Shade regulation: Large plants provide shade for smaller plants in need of sun protection.
Natural supports: Tall plants like corn and sunflow- ers can support lower-growing, sprawling crops such as cucumbers and peas.
Improved plant health: When one plant absorbs certain substances from the soil, it may change the soil biochemistry in favor of nearby plants.
Healthy soil: Some crops, such as bean and peas, help to make nitrogen available. Similarly, plants with long taproots, like burdock, bring up nutrients from deep in the soil, enriching the topsoil to the benefit of shallow-rooted plants.
Weed suppression: Planting sprawling crops like potatoes with upright plants minimizes open areas, where weeds typically take hold.
Watch For More Gardening Tips Throughout The Summer
Pest problems are all too common in summer flower and vegetable gardens. When using any pesticide read and follow label directions carefully. When applying pesticides to food crops, observe the waiting period between treatment and harvest. Always make sure you have diagnosed a problem properly before treatment.
Benefits of Companion Planting
There are plenty of reasons to plant certain crops together. For example...
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