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​Garden Stories

​​Garden.True.North is about gardening in Zone 4,

​sharing thoughts, ideas and tips for all northern gardeners.

May Garden Calendar

5/1/2018

1 Comment

 
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​May is one of the busiest months for gardening.  That is especially so this year with our very late spring.  Compressed into a few shorts weeks is garden clean-up from the long winter, prepping the vegetable and annual beds, visiting the garden centers for fresh new plants, and planting.  Planting should be delayed until frost danger is at a minimum.  Let’s face it, in our northern zone frost danger can happen any time during the growing season.  Let’s get gardening! 
Here’s the list of reminders for this month:
 
  • Fertilize shade trees & shrubs (when peonies bloom or buds swell) with high-nitrogen fertilizer (16-8-8)
  • Fertilize evergreens with 16-8-8 at a rate of 1/3# per foot of height or spread, whichever is greater
  • When perennial beds can be worked, spread fertilizer recommended by soil test and gently work into soil
  • Feed garlic when green leaves begin to grow and then every 2-3 weeks until mid-June
  • Prune non-flowering shrubs
  • Fertilize asparagus – add lime
  • Fertilize raspberries – apply ½ # urea (1 cup) per 100 feet or 2 cups high N fertilizer around each plant, repeat in June
  • PUT DEER PELLETS ON HYDRANGEA
  • Fertilize blueberries when growth starts, add bagged cow manure or ¼ c aluminum sulfate or 10-10-10 two time per year, repeat after flowering
  • Prune pines by cutting 2/3’s length of candles if reduced growth is desired
 
A note on lawns:  Notice that fertilizing the lawn is not on this list.   Old recommendations were to start fertilizing near Memorial Day – the end of May.  A minimum maintenance program is to apply a winterizer fertilizer (26-0-12) in early to mid-October. If you prefer a lusher lawn, fertilizer can be applied two times; add an early June application to the mid-October application. For our area a maximum application of three times is recommended; for a high maintenance lawn apply fertilizer in early June, early September, and early to mid-October. These are the active grass growing periods in Wisconsin. Never apply fertilizer during dormant periods.   
1 Comment
carla tepaske link
5/3/2018 05:25:05 pm

Winter to Summer .. we had 83 degrees two days in a row here in Cameron. Oh my! You are right on, May is a busy time. It always has been a busy month for our family. It is also one of my favorite months.

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