What to plant this year

Now that we?ve had some warm days, soil temperatures are rising and gardeners can think about warm weather crops. For those who love melons and have the requisite full sun, fertile soil and ample space, Richard Jauron from ISU has recommended varieties and planting tips.

Muskmelons that do well here include ?Earlisweet? (small), medium-sized ?Athena? and ?Ambrosia,? and large varieties ?Eclipse,? ?Aphrodite,? and ?Superstar.? ?Hale?s Best? is a recommended heirloom variety, and both ?Earlidew? and ?Passport? offer green flesh.

Some outstanding watermelons are the seedless ?Crunchy Red,? ?Gypsy,? and ?Millionaire.? Excellent seeded varieties include ?Crimson Sweet,? ?Royal Sweet,? ?Sangria,? and ?Sweet Beauty.?

Plant all varieties of melons in hills. Plant four or five seeds per hill; later, thin to the strongest two or three well-spaced plants. Jauron recommends the use of black plastic mulch with melons. Lay the plastic over moist soil and anchor well. Cut holes in the plastic just large enough for seeds or transplants.

If your vegetable garden typically includes sweet bell peppers and you would love to have plenty of the red ones, here?s a tip from Master Gardener Carol Gard. Plant two bell peppers. Harvest green peppers from one of the plants, but leave peppers on the other until they?re fully ripe ? a sweet red pepper is just a green pepper that has ripened! The ?red? plant may require support as it will become quite heavy with its ripening bounty.

Many garden centers and nurseries report high interest this year in especially colorful varieties of vegetables. We?ve become accustomed to seeing hybrid tomatoes that are red, orange or yellow, but heirloom varieties offer even greater color range. Master Gardener Marty Schnicker reports success growing heirloom tomatoes in high tunnels, which offer protection from wind and direct rainfall.

If you?re the kind of gardener who puts one tomato plant in a pot or bucket on the deck, stick with a familiar hybrid. If you have the space, try heirlooms for the color and flavor bonanza that they offer.

Right now: Note plant varieties that you would still like to add. There is ample time to add perennials to the flower borders. It?s also fine to plant vegetable or flower seeds if the time to maturation is not particularly long. If the maturation time is long or you?re just eager for results quickly, look for healthy, stocky plants that will provide a considerable head start. You can find these at local garden centers or at the Farmers Market in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

If you are seeing ant hills in your lawn, ISU entomologist Donald Lewis recommends raking them flat. In prairie grasses, just ignore ant mounds.