It’s finally time to plant warm-weather crops in Western Washington
The third week of June is when the soil is warm enough to plant squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, pepper and all the other heat- loving crops you have been waiting to put in.
No more excuses — there is still time to have a great garden if you clear the weeds and get planting this week.
If you purchase tomato plants, remember this is one of the few plants you can transplant into the ground and place it deeper than it was growing before. Remove up to one third of the bottom leaves, dig a deep hole or lay the tomato plant on its side in a shallow ditch. The stem underground will produce more roots giving you a more productive tomato plant.
Q. Is there such thing as a thornless rose? My wife thinks roses are dangerous due to the thorns, but I seem to remember there is a rose with no thorns. — T.D., Tacoma
A. Yes indeed! A thornless rose is blooming in my garden right now. Even better, it is one of the few roses that will flower in a partly shaded location.
This thornless rose is called Zephrine droughin with a deep pink color, repeat blooms and a wonderful fragrance. I have seen it for sale at some local nurseries or you can order it at DavidAustinroses.com.
Keep in mind this is a climbing rose so it wants to cover 15 feet of space. I grow mine over a metal arch made from flexible cattle fencing. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you will see it growing with the purple- and pink-striped Nelly Moser clematis on the same arch. These June blooming climbers look great on their own but spectacular when planted together.
Q. Will adding egg shells around your tomato plants keep the tomatoes from cracking? — F.F., Bonney Lake
A. In theory, yes, the calcium from the egg shells will prevent blossom end rot of tomatoes as this is a condition caused by lack of nutrients. However, the egg shells should be broken up and put into the hole during planting time as it takes too long for the calcium to get into the soil when the shells are sprinkled on top. But then again, some gardeners find that egg shells in a circle around a plant on top of the soil will keep away slugs.
If you really want insurance that your tomatoes will not suffer blossom end rot, you can skip the egg shells and instead add calcium nitrate sold at garden centers. This comes in a powder form you can apply even after you have planted your tomatoes.
Q. I have a very large clematis called clematis montana. It is pink. It blooms every May but then it does not flower again until the following year. My question is when to prune this vine that is going wild? — T.G., Black Diamond
A. Pruning after blooming is the general rule of green thumb. Clematis montana is one vine that may need a firm hand to keep it under control. You can cut back most vines and climbing plants by one third or less without serious damage. To avoid cutting off flower buds and missing out on future blooms, your can prune all spring flowering clematis in mid to early June once the flowers have faded.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.
Marianne gets rosy
Marianne Binetti will speak on “Happy Rose Marriages: How to arrange compatible bedmates for your roses” at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 26, at Christiansons Nursery, near the town of Mount Vernon. The nursery is sponsoring a free Rosy Day Out with a variety of speakers on roses, food vendors, rose displays and rose-growing contests. For more information, go to www.Christiansonsnursery.com.