It’s not too late to get your garden in

OPINION
Written by Candice Christensen with Ace Hardware of Shelley

Spring comes with some lofty ambitions and goals that we tend to make as we emerge from the cold of winter. However, some of those plans never make it to fruition. We may have had the very best of intentions this season. Perhaps you purchased your seeds early, made a detailed plan for your plants, babied your starts, amended your soil, and after all of those efforts not a single plant has ended up in your garden. Feeling defeated, you may have completely given up on gardening this season, but all is not lost.

It’s true that in June you really don’t have time to start your crops from seed, but the greenhouses and some local garden enthusiasts could still offer you a decent selection of plant starts that are more than ready to go into the ground. Some of your crops can benefit from the lateness of the season. Placing your peppers in the garden too early can stunt their growth and give you a lower yield per plant, but in this weather, they will thrive. Eggplants and melons are two other plants that are best grown from starts and love the warmer weather that the summer can provide. The heat is not ideal for the carrots and leafy greens you may have planned for, but planting anything in your garden is better than nothing. If you manage to plant a single pumpkin plant before the month is out, you will be grateful for even a few pumpkins this Fall. Large or small, for eating, carving or decorating, you will be grateful for your harvest. Planting one potted tomato plant will still provide you with a superior selection of tomatoes for salads and sandwiches. Whatever you can slip into the soil in your last-ditch efforts for gardening glory will ultimately be worth it in the end. So grab what warm-weather-loving starts you can get your hands on and get them into the ground. You’ll be glad you did. Happy gardening East Idaho.