These daisies started blooming last week. Just in time for the beginning of June.
The warmer temperatures are definitely here to stay. After reviewing the almanac for the entire month of June, it appears that it is a wonderful time to share with y’all all of the information for you to get growing this Month in June. No, it’s not too late to plant! We still have plenty of warm days ahead to begin seeds, and enjoy flowers all summer long.
Stop by and pick up a few more seeds! We have a small bundle of these gardening guides left. Stop by to pick one up soon!
June Gardening Guide
June 1-2 Planting DaysJune 3-4 : Harvest Days These lettuce seeds were planted in May and almost ready to harvest! June 5-6 : Plant root crops, prune to encourage growth June 7-8: Destroy weeds, and harvest crops . Wilkes County Hardware has a wide selection of weed control products… sprays and concentrate. June 9-10: plant, transplant, prune to encourage growth, apply organic fertilizer. Black Wonder composting soil now back in stock!
June 11-12: Harvest crops
June 13-14 : plant, transplant, prune to encourage growth
WCH Recommends: Baccto potting soil
June 15-17: destroy weeds, harvest crops
WCH Recommends: A 2-4D concentrate will not harm your grass but targets the existing weeds.
June 18-19: plant, transplant, seed beds, prune to encourage growth, apply chemical fertilizer
By mid June your garden should be in full bloom!
June 20-24: Barren signs means a great time to do weed control. Never plant during a barren sign… slow to no growth. Never trim bushes or trees during a barren sign.
June 21st Marks the first day of Summer!
June 25-29: planting days resume. June 28-29 are good days to seed beds, apply chemical fertilizer.
June is a good time to address any emerging issues that you might have with your roses. Be proactive, and shop early to prevent any damage.
June 30th: Prune to discourage growth
No matter what you grow this year… flowers, vegetables or maybe both… just enjoy your surroundings. Happy Planting!
The Spring season is a burst of activity in our natural world after the winter weather thaw. New life begins to emerge in front of our eyes. Spring weather can be ever changing. One day we can experience beautiful blue skies and sunshine, the next day, can bring cooler temperatures and a blustery wind.
Spring mornings tend to be cooler, but the afternoon sun brings warmth after the cold winter season.
Spring is a beautiful reminder of how wonderful nature can be! I hope that you will enjoy my pictorial review of Spring.
Meteorological Spring begins in March. The first official day of Spring is March 20th. First signs of Spring, blooming crocus Do you have any of these sweet flowers? Blooming Lenten rose arrives just in time for the beginning of Lent each year. Forsythia never fails to add beautiful color to the spring season. Tiny leaves begin to emerge on our favorite Weeping Willow on the Greenway. Piper and I always look forward to seeing this each Spring. Spring blooming trees show off their unique colors and beauty in Downtown North Wilkesboro. This year the Tulip trees have been gorgeous! The March brisk winds and rains often create a beautiful storm of petals reminiscent of the glorious days of springtime. Spring, Live life in full bloom! Do you call them Daffodils or Buttercups? Daffodils are one of the first flowers to burst onto the scene after a few warmer days of spring like weather. Joy was extremely curious about the blooming daffodils her first Spring season with us.
Birds chirping their glorious spring songs. Our birding section is always a busy area inside the hardware store. If you don’t see what you need, ask us about ordering it for you. The bees begin to work on the pollination process… not so much fun for allergy sufferers in the spring. Have you already spotted the pollen coating your car or outdoor surfaces yet??? Gone in 30 Seconds Outdoor cleaner and Wet and Forget works great to get your outside surfaces clean and clear of the grime of the wet and yucky winter season. The tiny, bright green leaves emerge bringing a new sense of life to trees and our natural world. The grass begins growing like crazy! The winter lull of lawn care is now over and the mowing season begins. Mowologists, are y’all ready? Check out my blog post on Mowing Grass. Our Lawn and Garden section has been completely updated. Stop by to pick up your chemicals, OR if you have questions on where to begin for the Spring season Lawn Care Maintenance. I have a few blog posts that may help as you begin the spring garden season, check out Pulling Weeds on the blog. New lawn care items inside our store! I’m excited about this one for your lawn. Easy steps for each season! Then comes Tulip season! Cookie smelling the tulips and daffodils. She loves the tulips 🌷! Last spring she would stop by and smell my tulips at the back door every single time. I added a new set of tulips at the front door this year. Just a little too cute! Spring is time for bright colors Each of these Blue Door Houses are uniquely designed. Robin egg blue! Iconic spring color 💕April often brings the Easter Bunny! Time to shop for a new Easter Basket! Grilling season heats up! Stop by to pick up grilling sauces, rub, Traeger pellets or even a new grill. Yes! We can order you a Blackstone Grill too! All sizes are available. March 12th is Daylight Saving Time, meaning more hours of daylight. Daylight Saving Time was first enacted during World War I to save energy and resources . Enjoy the beautiful spring sunshine! And the Spring morning sunrises. April showers bring May Flowers… peonies are almost ready to bloom in this beautiful Spring memory. May brings strawberry season! I love my metal dishpan from Wilkes County Hardware. I use it for gathering, harvesting, prepping garden beauties each spring and summer. Gardening season begins in the spring! Some folks start seed indoors in the early months of spring, while others wait. Whenever the frost of early May dissipates, the gardening season goes into full swing. Does your garden soil need a boost? Use this locally sourced soil builder to get some amazing results in your garden this spring. The best potting soil hands down! Love this stuff! Gardeners, At the end of the day, shouldn’t you smell like dirt during Spring ???? Gardening by the signs. Do you know how to read an almanac? I plant by the signs each year in order to get the best results. Flowers planted in the spring brings joy for the coming summer season. “BEE” happy it’s Spring y’all!
Living through a Southern Summer means consistently mowing the lawn is a necessity. I spent many summers on a riding mower going round and round until the yard was completely finished. Dad was usually busy completing the trimming around trees working the humming weed eater. Dad’s lawn always looked spectacular with the blades of grass all trimmed up, gleaming brightly in the warm summer sunshine.
Pool fun versus mowing the grass.. well there’s no debate on that one y’all 😂
The “art” mowing, or the phrase I’ll use today, “Mowology”, is not only your ability to keep up with mowing of the growing green grass AND the overall maintenance of the lawn. Let that sink in for a minute… that is a HUGE definition! Mowing & lawn maintenance requires a hunk of time on the homeowner part, just like that hunk of grass in your yard that has you currently stumped. You’re probably thinking to yourself… what on earth should I do next??? Weed control or pest control or should I just “kiss it up to heaven” and just let it go???
And we all know that keeping your lawn looking fabulous doesn’t come easily. It is hard work!!! Even as I write this, my dad still does ALL of his lawn maintenance. He just simply enjoys doing it. Dad would be in my book, “A Mowologist, at heart”. Why??? He is motivated to keep his lawn/yard looking great year round, he has the “heart” for an amazing lawn. Ultimately, don’t we all want that???
Cookie enjoys just sitting in the grass watching over her domain
Whether you are an active participant in your lawn care or not, it is good to know some basic details about what should be done and when, so your hard earned money is being utilized to the ultimate extent!
Put your hard earned money to use! Knowledge is powerful!
Now is an excellent time to walk your lawn to survey it to see how you wish to proceed for a beautiful lawn next spring… yes, y’all are reading that correctly.
Check the verbiage in the Almanac… it’s time to put emphasis on the lawn!
August and September are actually THE most important months for lawn care! For all of y’all who are excellent “mowologists” out there, be proactive and think ahead towards next spring. What should you be focusing on FIRST?? Continue to read below in order to find the BEST option available for your lawn this Fall.
The following information is a portion of my research based findings. Several of our customers have asked for help/questions in regards to lawn care for the Fall season. This is only a few helpful tips!
Option one: “The Ultimate Mowologist”…. I’ve got this lawn under control & I’m looking ahead to Fall Y’all:
1. Apply Fertilizer. A little fertilization towards end of the brutal summer heat will give your lawn a boost going into Fall. Your lawn is tired and possibly even a little stressed. As a result, your lawn could use more nitrogen. Lawns that lack nitrogen may also be missing other two vital nutrients, such as phosphorus and potassium. Yes… y’all guessed it, these are the essential elements found in fertilizer.
This is a nitrogen rich product that would be an amazing additive to your lawn this Fall, sprinkle onto your lawn after aeration. We also have basic fertilizer options
2. If you are just simply unsure to fertilize or not??? Stop by and pick up a soil test. Your lawn will go dormant with or without fertilizer as temperatures begin to cool down. By adding a boost of fertilizer, you can have a much more lush, vibrant yard come springtime.
Soil test can take the guess work out of your lawn care
3. Aerate – It is time to aerate lawns that are subject to heavy traffic or grown on clay soils. Yes, that is definitely us!!! Clay soil in the NC Foothills are a definite standard. Soil plugs should be broken up and scatter these plugs back into the lawn for best results.
4. Do you wish to Overseed OR do you need to Seed small bare patches that have emerged in your lawn? Overseeding can reduce weeds in your lawn by simply pushing them out with the thick layer of green, lush grass. Why should you overseed or seed bare patches now??? There are a few distinct reasons that make fall the best time to plant grass seed. The Fall months of September & Early October are ideally the best seeding times when the soil is still warm. With the combination of warm soil, warm daytime temperatures, and cool evenings encourages seed germination and establishment of newly sown cool-season grass. In general terms, you should plant cool-season grass seed at least 45 days before the “estimated date” of your first fall frost. Meaning, before soil and air temperatures drop to less favorable levels. Fall will typically brings more rain, which lessens the chance that these newly planted grass seeds may dry out, and reducing the need for extra watering on your part.
Small bags of grass seed are also available!
Option Two: “The Tired Mowologist “…Summer has gotten the best of me y’all, but I’ve got this handled…
1. Weed control – As the summer wanes, weeds may have emerged in your lawn! Post-emergent herbicides are one way of removing weeds that have already sprouted if you can visibly see them in your lawn. Weed and Feed options are also available… stop by to see which one works best for you.
2. Insect control– did you notice Japanese beetles in your yard this season??? Mole issues ??? Believe it or not, these are all connected!!! Japanese beetles lay eggs in your lawn that turn into lawn grubs in late summer . The grubs eat and dig up your lawn roots in late summer, hibernate all winter long and then come back with a vengeance in spring…ready to destroy your lawn again. Moles eat grubs. Now is the time to get moving on grub control for your yard before the cooler weather sets in and the grubs move deeper into the ground, making it ineffective for any type of grub control to be impactful. Other signs of insects??? Stop by to see what would work best for your lawn and gardening needs this Fall.
If you purchased this product this summer, you might need to consider getting prepared for grub control 😳Pet friendly grub control Granular & concentrate available
Y’all might be wondering why did I give you two different choices ?? Here’s the answer. You should never fertilize, aerate, and seed the lawn at the same time as you are in the weed control cycle. It’s kinda like you are defeating your original purpose… Pick one area of focus and go with it! Option 2 with lawn weed control should be completed by Mid September. After three weeks of completion, you can come back to aerate & overseed/seed bare patches in your lawn if you deem it necessary this Fall.
Looking Ahead into Fall Y’all… “The Proactive Mowologists”
1. Water lawn as needed.
Need a new water hose???
2. Maintain your Mulch– a thick layer of mulch helps to prevent weeds.
3. Pull & spray weeds as needed
5. Fall is a great time to plant trees or shrubs.
6. Get ready to rake leaves!!! 🍂🍁🍁🍁
7. Check out your fall lawn & garden tools… are they in need of maintenance,cleaning, repair???? We can help with new handles, and sharpening.
8. Keep lawnmower blades sharpened. Dull blades mean uneven cutting in your lawn.
Fall is an amazing time of the year for the novice mowologist or even the pro who has been doing it well for years. The weather begins to cool down and the summer sweats subsides. What Mowologists isn’t looking forward to parking the mower in the garage for a few months of leisure as winter weather sets in and you get to trade it out for a snow shovel??? Right??? 😂
When I looked outdoors this past Sunday morning from our front windows, I was extremely excited to see a thick layer of fog among the trees.
Sunday Morning August 7th Monday August 8th, another foggy morning
For those of you who may not be aware of old weather folklore, every foggy morning in August, equates to a snowy day in the coming winter.
My grandparents always used to track the foggy mornings in August. I have found that I also like to capture foggy mornings with my camera to try to capture a moment of the quietness in nature.
This is the first year that I’m going to try to track my findings concerning the August morning fogs.
Fog hanging low into the trees
I’ve heard that folks used to put a large dried bean into a jar for each “big” morning fog. A smaller bean was used to indicate a “lesser ” fog. I don’t recall my grandparents ever doing this but Granny’s visual memory was acute. Granny would catalog these foggy mornings into her long term memory. As the snowy weather conditions were being talked about on the local news, she had those predictions from August to confirm or deny the pending weather track.
I’m not totally sure how accurate this method of predicting snowfall but I’m ready to give it a go for this coming winter.
A “light” August morning fog indicates a lighter dusting of snow.
So I’ve decided to revise my take on the bean jar plan… instead I’m using old keys as my guideline. Stay posted this month for keys in the jar update!!!
I’ll use the larger & smaller key method similar to the bean version that is traditionally used. So far, 2 keys in the jar!
Could this be a heavy snowfall winter???
December 2019… the largest snow for us to date!!! Wilkes County Hardware received over 16 inches of snowfall!!!!
As your garden grows, so do the weeds😳! Weeds, the unwanted earthy material we desire to rid our flower & vegetable gardens of forever. Weeds can somehow creep into your garden and appear almost overnight. Weeds steal valuable water & nutrients from your growing garden. Before you know it, your once gorgeous garden is chocked full of weeds and struggling to survive. As a gardener, an ongoing “thankless task” is pulling weeds.
Some people say, that pulling weeds is a laborious task, while others seem to get lost in the joy of nature, connecting back with the earth. Regardless, of your mindset, it is a maintenance task that must be routinely addressed as a homeowner in order to keep an approachable, well maintained landscape.
Weeds and pollen.. Spring is here!
On the blog today , I have researched and found my Top Weeding Tips to share with y’all. These are not fool proof, but it could help with your Spring and Summer garden maintenance routine.
Top Ten Weeding Tips:
1. Timing is Everything … Pulling weeds is a much easier task after a good soaking rain. Those of us who live in red clay soil zones, can definitely attest to the ease of pulling after a rain versus the dry, hard clay soil. Smaller weeds are much easier to yank than larger ones. So don’t ignore the task of weeding. Pulling weeds in morning or later evening is definitely easier during those long, hot summer days.
After a rain is a perfect time to walk in garden to see the beauty of your labor & be active in weeding out those pesky little weeds.
2. Tools… the right tools for the job are important! I usually carry a small bucket for weeding to dispose of those pesky things. A weeding tool, gardening spade, gloves, and gardening hoe are essential for getting the job done, get the root out!
Great tools make quick work of weed control!This folding stool is great for gardening chores!!
3. Think about your mulch layer… If you mulch heavy( 3-4 inches deep) it should help somewhat with weed control. Simply putting down an inch or two of mulch around perennials, annuals and shrubs is simply not going to cut it. A shallow layer of mulch won’t keep weed seeds buried in the soil below from germinating. The key to weed control is to smother them out! Weed seeds need light, water, & air in order to thrive and grow. Make conditions harsh for weeds to prosper. Also, don’t forget to think about the birds who float in weed seeds that can get into the soil below to sprout and grow. Mulch in flowerbeds should be at a minimum of depth of 4 inches.
Available at WCH!
4. Tilling… the least amount of soil that is disturbed, the better chance you have to keep weed seeds from being distributed . Weed seeds are buried in every inch of your beautiful garden, but only those in the top inch or two of soil get enough light to trigger germination. Digging and cultivating brings hidden weed seeds to the surface. So don’t dig or till unless absolutely necessary!
5. Think about planting more… the unused garden space in your garden invites the opportunity for more weeds to grow. It maybe time to grow more veggies or flowers!
6. Turn the pages of your Almanac!!! Pulling weeds during a barren sign(Leo, Gemini, Virgo, Aquarius) is impactful!
I usually consult my Almanac before I go pull weeds. It is a fruitless task to weed control on a day that is unsuited for it. We are currently sold out for 2025! Please call us if you have questions about current signs or when to plant/weed.
7. Take a daily walk through your garden, & pull a few weeds everyday. Pick a section to focus on each day and just work in it.
8. Technology time… plant apps are readily available to help you identify plant material. Weeds can be identified and help you determine how to get rid of it. How does this weed spread… seed, runners, or rhizomes/root based ???
Consider using a plant identification app.
9. Talent… use your talent as an amazing gardener by never leaving the roots behind. If you pull only the leaves, weeds will grow back. Grab the weed close to the ground and pull straight up. Remove the entire root for a successful weeding session. For those really hard ones to kill, we have some amazing chemicals to try, if you need them. Our customers have requested chemicals that are people/pet friendly that work! We have them!!! Come stop by and talk to us about options available.
These products are all available at WCH!
10. Tenacity will pay off… my gut tells me, there will always be weeds in the garden, 😬hopefully less than more… maybe a few of these tips can help to reduce your weeding chores. Just don’t give up on your garden. The joy it brings is definitely worth it and persistence is key in weeding the garden. Go for it in 2025!
This blog post was originally published in 2022, but has been updated in 2025.
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The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 