Maintaining your garden heading into the summer months

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The best kind of weather is finally upon us in Rochester and for some, that means heading out to the shed and dusting off those gardening tools. Now, as we near the end of spring, there may be a tip or two you want to remember while maintaining your garden as we transition into the beginning of summer.

“Anything that you plant in the spring, when you go into the warmer, summer months, there’s more water stress on the plants so stay on top of your watering. We like to recommend an inch a week,” says Marci Muller, who is the horticulture program leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County.

When beginning to plant, there are some helpful tips to allow your plants to flourish to the fullest, such as using fertilizer and compost. However, using an organic mulch could be the only “ingredient” you need.

“The great thing about an organic mulch is that eventually it breaks down and becomes compost, so it’s adding nutrients to the soil,” Muller says.

Another component of gardening is protecting your plants from pests. While noting that there is a ton of research going into protecting your plants, Marci explains that the best way to protect them is to buy plants that are resistant. However, if you choose to plant different variations that are not resistant, there are still ways to protect them, such as fragrances.

“The deer tend to not like things that have a strong fragrance… Spraying like a hot pepper spray. If you take a spray bottle and you put a little of hot sauce in there, a little bit of dish soap to act as a surfactant and some water,” says Muller.

One of the most important things to remember when gardening is that everyone has to start somewhere. Marci encourages residents to go out and plant, all while having a good time.

“Go out, plant, have fun, and try new stuff and you know don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work, especially with inexpensive plants,” she says.

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