This week is a great time to sow carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce and dill directly into the garden. You can do this even if you already have some of these crops already started in your garden. A second sowing is a great way to extend your harvest--as are 3rd, 4th, 5th sowings as the season progresses. Skillin's Plug: We have a GREAT selection of lettuce and other greens as seedlings. They are the perfect size to plant and you will be able to harvest the leaf lettuces, mesclun mix and arugula seedlings that we have within the next few days! When I plant seeds or seedlings I always put a little bit of all natural Garden Tone by Espoma into the soil to help the roots grow a little faster and stronger!

Now is the time in many cases to deadhead Spring Flower Bulbs as blooms fade, but do leave the foliage intact to wither for awhile. Right now your bulbs underground are drawing nutrients from the foliage above ground. Let that happen for bigger bulbs next year! Again your bulbs are hungry and are looking to grow. Now is a good time to help them by poking a few holes around the bulb and pouring down some Bulb Tone or Plant Tone by Espoma. Or give the foliage a liquid feed of all natural Fish and Seaweed Food by Neptune's Harvest. Next Spring you will be glad you did!

The grass is growing green! Remember don't bag or rake your leaf clippings! Let them lie on your lawn; this is a "green" and effective way to return valuable nitrogen to your soil. Also mow your lawn a little taller than you have in the past. A "clean shaven" and short lawn gives more light and air to weeds in the lawn. Conversely a taller lawn "shades" or "canopies" potential weeds and this helps to naturally keep the weed population down.

Want more easy to follow and effective lawn tips? Go to Lawn Care Program from Skillin's!  to see how achievable a good lawn can be for us "average Joes" (although all the Joes I know are way above average)! You CAN grow a nice lawn without a huge investment of time and labor!

For even more May gardening tips check out our garden blog--the Skillin's Garden Log!

Our 2011 nursery and perennial catalogs are now ONLINE! Check them out!

 *Paul Parent writes about  The Purple Leaf Plum and Bush and Pole Beans .  The purple leaf plum is a great addition in many ways to any landscape. And beans? Easily grown in the garden; great for you and when they are fresh the taste is the best! 

*Last week we referred you to a neat Garden Log post by KCB called Minding Your P's--a neat article about Planning and Preparing your garden--and we are in that planning and preparing time period! This week we refer you to the KCB sequel--originally published on May 19, 2009--called More Ps to Ponder--covering Purchase, Plant and Provide!