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It is mid June and the garden is busting out of its seams. Lots of rainfall across most of Canada set us up for a great bust of growth with the late spring heat. My peonies are in full bud and ready to explode, roses are in full bloom in Toronto, I see and I am having trouble keeping up with the grass cutting.
Which reminds me that bugs, diseases and weeds are ever present in the yard just now. So lets get right to "the list of things that you can do in your garden right now that will minimize work later, provide big payback and may even save you some money":
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More Things To Do
- Mulch with finely ground up cedar or pine bark mulch 6 to 8 cm thick to reduce weeding by up to 90% and watering by up to 70% the first year.
- Set up rain barrels at your down spouts. Rain water is 30 to 40% oxygen charged. All plants perform better when watered with rain water. I use 4 rain barrels around my house to water all of my container plants. The results speak for themselves!
- Plant your potatoes, corn, zucchini, potatoes and all other hot crops that you have been holding off for. The heat is finally 'on'.
- It is not too late to sow seeds for fast germinating flowers and veggies. Sunflowers, zinnias, asters, nasturtiums, calendula, peas, beans, radishes and carrots can be sown now with expectations of a full crop before the end of the season.
- Stake your tomatoes to double your crop. Apply Bordo mixture to prevent early and late blight- once every couple of weeks until the middle of August.
- Watch the 'daily tip' on www.markcullen.com to keep up to date and check out my weekly blog for more detailed updates about what you should be doing in the garden.
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Now is the time to apply dormant nematodes - those microscopic sized predators that you spray out the end of a sprayer just like you may have in your past using a weed killer or insecticide. 
Before you receive your next Mark Cullen newsletter, all of the above mentioned perennials will be in bloom or will have finished blooming in your garden - depending on where you live in Canada. 
- June 27 - I will be speaking at the Royal Botanical Garden's Annual General Meeting. For more info. visit 
This weekend only, Rideau Hall's gardens and greenhouses will be open to the public, on June 15 and 16, from 10am to 4pm. 
