Cold weather is gone for good, and Middle Tennessee’s best gardening season has begun. Here are garden-related events, tasks and tips to keep you busy this month.
May 2 and every Friday this month: Fitness Fridays in Cheekwood Gardens, with the gates open early for visitors to enjoy circuit blasts, stroller strides, Tai Chi and yoga in the gardens led by instructors from the Green Hills YMCA. Free to Cheekwood members; regular gate admission applies for non-members. Details: www.cheekwood.org
May 3: Middle Tennessee Iris Society show will be held at Ellington Agricultural Center’s Ed Jones Auditorium. Entries admitted 7-10 a.m., judging begins at 10:30 a.m., and the show opens to the public 1:30-4:30 p.m. Details: www.middletnirisociety.org
May 3: Robertson County Master Gardeners plant salE, 408 N. Main St. in Springfield, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. or until all plants are sold. Informational classes will be held throughout the day. Details: www.rcmga.org
May 3 and every Saturday in May: Volunteer to help with weeding, planting, harvesting and general care of the Unity in Diversity Peace Garden, a learning garden on the Scarritt-Bennett campus designed to cultivate conversations about diversity and sustainability issues, and to foster individual and collective action. 1-3 p.m. Bring water, gardening tools and gloves. To learn more about the program, visit www.scarrittbennett.org.
May 10: Middle Tennessee Hosta Society plant sale with more than 300 varieties of hosta, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Maryland Farms YMCA, 5101 Maryland Way in Brentwood. Details: www.mths-hosta.com
May 10: Master Gardeners of Davidson County hosts a cemetery tour at the historic Nashville City Cemetery, 10-11:30 a.m. Visitors will see the cemetery with plants that could be found there around 1862, and learn about the lives of some of Nashville’s famous citizens. Free and open to the public. To learn more, contact the Metro Historical Commission at 615-862-7970.
May 10: Sunflower Café Spring Market, local farmers, nurseries and artisans offering garden plants and handcrafted items. Shop, eat and drink, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 2834 Azalea Place in Berry Hill.
May 11, Mother’s Day: Flowers from the garden or from the florist will stay fresh longer if you change the water in the vase every day.
May 17: Master Gardeners of Davidson County Urban Gardening Festival, featuring exhibitors, artisans, vendors and workshops on a wide range of gardening topics, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Demonstration Garden at Ellington Agricultural Center, 5201 Marchant Drive. Admission and parking are free. Details: www.mgofdc.org
RELATED: Learn from Master Gardeners at daylong festival
May 17: Backyard Beekeeping at Warner Park Nature Center, an introduction to residential beekeeping led by D’ganit Eldar, Melissa Donahue and Nature Center volunteers, 9-11 a.m. Registration (adults only) opens Friday; call 615-352-6299 to register.
May 20: Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee meets at Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall. Jason Reeves from UT Jackson Extension will speak on reliable garden plants — perennials and annuals, trees and vines — that will last for years in your garden. Refreshments at 6:30 p.m., program begins at 7 p.m. Open to the public.
In the garden
• Plant your kitchen garden with warm-season vegetables: peppers, tomatoes, okra, squash, melons, beans, cucumbers. Keep newly planted garden beds moist as seeds sprout.
• Spring-flowering bulbs may have finished blooming, but allow the foliage to remain until it has turned brown.
• Here’s a tip for tomato transplants that are already too tall: They can be planted on their sides with the top leaves above ground. Strong roots will sprout from the buried stems.
• Many houseplants enjoy spending summer outdoors. Find a shady spot, protected from strong wind, to help them acclimate to their new environment.
• Plant plenty of basil in a sunny location to use in summer recipes. Clip and use it frequently, which allows the plants to grow sturdier. Snip off flowers as they begin to form.
• Pull or dig weeds out of garden beds when they are small — and especially before they form seeds. Use extra care when you cultivate around seedlings that you’ve planted in the kitchen garden.
• If you don’t have space for a kitchen garden in the ground, plant herbs and “patio” varieties of vegetables in containers on a sunny deck or balcony. Containers dry out quickly on hot days, so you’ll need to water frequently.
• If you need to prune azaleas, do it as soon as you can after they finish flowering.
• Mulch used in garden beds slows down weed growth and helps keep the soil moist longer. Shredded leaves and composted (not fresh) grass clippings are good choices for free mulch.
• As perennials bloom and fade, deadhead the plants — clip off the dying flowers — to encourage the plants to bloom longer.
• Harvest herbs at their peak — usually just before they bloom. Use them fresh or dry or freeze them to use later.
• Divide bearded irises after they finish blooming. Cut the leaves to about five inches and lift the tubers with a spading fork. Separate the rhizomes and cut off damaged portions. Replant the rhizomes close to the soil surface, or share with gardening friends.
• Gardens and lawns need about an inch of water a week. If it doesn’t rain, use sprinklers early in the morning. Soaker hoses placed throughout garden beds are an efficient way to deliver moisture to the plants’ roots.
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