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             The Gardener Guy of Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Weeding, Thinning, Watering

After a cold and wet spring young plants are finally starting to grow. But things planted by seed need to be thinned in order to do well. Imagine if your mother had given birth not only to you, but also to 11 other siblings all at the same time. Imagine what it would be like if you all had to live in the same house you grew up in, and survive on the same amount of food your parents bought every week when you were growing up. That's what some unlucky lettuce, abused beets and cruelly-crowded carrots go through every year. Some gardeners can not bear to thin their seedlings, or don't take the time - and shame on them!

Vegetables compete with each other for moisture, sunshine and nutrients just the way they compete with weeds. Thin now, before their roots get tangled up. Scissors are great for thinning, too. Just snip off extra seedlings at ground level. That doesn't disturb the roots of developing plants the way pulling them out might. If you don't thin, your plants will be small and stunted. By August, it will be too late. Those carrots will never reach their full potential.

You can transplant the thinned seedlings if you wish - and if you have space. Lettuce, thickly planted, can easily be lifted out of the ground when 2 inches tall or less, teased apart, and replanted 6 inches apart. Then each lettuce will develop to its full potential. Even beets and carrots will survive transplanting if they are not too big. Give it a try - you have nothing to lose but a few feet of garden space. Transplant late in the day and water after transplanting to settle the soil - and preferably when rain is forecast.

Weeds are starting to be a problem, too. They are nuzzling up to your tomatoes and sidling up to the beans. Don't let them. Even 15 minutes a day -every day - will keep the weeds under control in all but the most ambitious vegetable gardens. Loosen the soil with a hand tool, and extract the weeds. Get yourself a kneeling mat to protect your knees from the indignities of stones, and you will enjoy weeding much more.

Watering young plants is important, too. Unless you get an inch of rain each week, teenage tomatoes will sulk. Get a rain gauge, or put out a tin can to collect nature's liquid bounty. I like watering my plants using a hose and watering wand. Watering wands attach to the end of your hose, and consist of an aluminum pipe with a watering rosette on the end that delivers a nice gentle spray. They have a bend near the end of the pipe to make the angle of watering comfortable, and a plastic grip so cold water doesn't chill your hands.

I don't like watering every inch of the garden, walkways and weeds included. I prefer to water just the plants that are newly planted or that seem to need a drink of water. My watering wand allows me to walk down a row of tomatoes, for example, pulling the hose behind me, stopping to water each plant, but nothing else. By adjusting the water pressure with a valve on the watering wand, you can deliver water gently or send out a lot.

There is downside to using a watering wand: the hose can run roughshod on your plants. If you pull it along behind you and around corners in the garden, it can knock over plants. I solve this problem with pieces of pipe or wood stuck in the ground so that the hose can't jump out of the aisles and into the beds. A strategically placed garden fork works well, too, allowing the hose to slide by.

One last garden activity: plant a few more annual flowers, tucking them in anywhere. The rainy spring discouraged people from buying as many as they usually do, and our locally-owned farm stands and garden centers have a good selection - and need you to come buy up their stock. Some are already offering 2-for-1 deals. Support your local vendors - they generally have better stock and more variety than the big box stores.

When planting annuals this late in the season, you must loosen the roots before planting. Use the tip of a sharp hand tool to tear apart the root mass at the bottom, and tease out the roots on the sides. Plant deeply, so that soil covers the top of the root ball, minimizing water losses. Water daily until their roots can keep up with transpiration - they are used to regular watering at the garden center.

If you plant some extra annual flowers now you will have plenty to share with others. There is nothing better than giving a bouquet to a housebound friend, or to someone having a rough patch in life. You'll both feel better. And isn't that what gardening is all about?

Henry Homeyer is the VT/NH associate editor of "People, Places and Plants" magazine. Contact him at gardening-guy@valley.net or P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746.