Looking Ahead | A Note from Rick Bogusch
May 14, 2025
By Rick Bogusch
Sometimes gardening, like life, runs by triage. Deciding what to do first can be difficult this time of year, when there’s so much to do at once. The Vegetable and Community Gardens usually take priority here. Besides harvesting and routine maintenance like watering, weeding, fertilizing and pest control, we try to keep up with seeding new crops and planting the continual supply of seedlings we grow in our nursery. Sowing beet, carrot and cilantro seeds and planting lettuce seedlings every 2-3 weeks is ideal and yields a continuous supply. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants will go in the ground this month, as well as seeds of summer squash and cucumbers.
We spend a lot of time in the Herb Garden now, too. Besides regular chores, we focus on editing self-sown annuals like shiso, bee balm and poppies and restraining various herbs that spread underground. That way we have room for the various annuals and perennials we grow for the garden every year, herbs like basil, feverfew and Mexican tarragon. We also grow herbs that may be a bit tender here for planting in pots and combine them with rosemary, thymes, chives and others for tasty and attractive containers.
The Rose Garden always needs attention, but especially now. Besides beginning the weekly spray program against black spot, it’s time for another round of fertilizer and for a second pruning that will direct growth and promote air circulation, all in preparation for the peak bloom season next month.
Our spray program for the apple and pear orchard is just about done. It began in early spring before buds break and continues with a couple more sprays until petals fall and fruit starts to form.
With whatever time is left after the above, we tend the borders and ornamental beds near the Garden House, plus the Woodland Garden and peripheral areas like the raspberry mound. And while all that work takes place, spring unfolds and rewards us with blooms of daffodils, alliums, dogwoods, redbuds, Virginia bluebells and many, many more.
Besides working in the garden, May is also a great time to visit gardens. We have a variety of engaging educational workshops, garden member events including four Members-Only Music nights, (did you join or renew your membership yet?) and even a workshop on enjoying eggplants later this summer.
Looking forward to seeing you soon and please share your love of the garden by bringing a friend.
Happy Gardening!
~~~ Rick
Rick Bogusch
Director del Jardín, Bridge Gardens
rbogusch@peconiclandtrust.org