by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | The floodgates have opened! It’s now prime season to plant whatever the hell you want in your veggie garden (well, for the most part). Greens? Check. Roots? Got it. Squash? Totally. Cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes? Finally, yes, yes, and yes!

Typically, the first week of June is the perfect time to transplant all the heat-loving veggies. The weather this week is supposed to be sunny and glorious, so this weekend is a good time to get some veggies in the ground. Here’s a little “to-do” list to help you on your way…

1. It’s time for tomatoes! We watch the weather like a bunch of old timers, and the nighttime temperatures are reaching their consistency of about 13 degrees Celsius. This is our rule for setting out tomatoes, to have the temperature at least at this point. We have totally stolen this saying from someone, and we use it all the time (and likely have already used in a previous article, but this is a reminder): If you wouldn’t run around naked outside, it’s not time to transplant tomatoes. A couple of tips when planting: They need full sun! Use an organic, granular tomato specific fertilizer to mix in when planting to encourage fruit production. Pinch off a few of the bottom leaves of the plant and bury some of the stem under the dirt. Tomato plants will root out of the stem, and a bigger root ball means bigger fruit. Pinch the suckers! These are shoots that grow at 45 degrees between the stalk and stem. Prune them to encourage fruiting, too. Companion plant with basil and nasturtiums amongst your toms to help them out with pests and moisture retention.

2. Cucumbers! How do we love thee? One plant can be so prolific that it might be all you need. One favourite proliferator we fancy is the beautiful, yellow and round Lemon cucumber. A couple of planting tips: They need full sun, just like tomatoes. They can be buried in the soil up to their baby leaves, or cotyledons. Add the same fertilizer as you would tomatoes at the time of planting and remember to trellis or let ‘em trail. Companion plant with dill for a symbiotic relationship. Funny how these culinary companions are often great garden companions, eh?

3. Consider a kelp feed if you have overwintered garlic in the ground. This will give the plant what they need to produce nice cloves. The scapes should be forming so be on the lookout to harvest these in the month of June. If the ends of the leaves are yellowed, this is normal, FYI. And, don’t forget to plant your squash, mulch your potatoes, and start watering when it’s nice out (adding mulch to conserve water). This week, be on pest alert, too. Happy growing!

THE VICTORY GARDENS ARCHIVE