May 31, 2025 - Weekly Gardening Guide

Episode Transcript

[Intro Music Fades In]

Welcome back to The Keep Growing Podcast, your weekly guide to growing fresh, delicious food right in your backyard! I’m your host, John Morgan, and today we’re diving into Week 23, covering June 1st through 8th. We’ve got a packed planting schedule, some key gardening tasks, and a heads-up on the weather to keep your crops thriving. So, grab your trowel, and let’s get growing!

Alright, folks, it’s early June, and the garden is buzzing with potential. This week, we’re focusing on a mix of direct seeding, transplanting, and planning for that gorgeous autumn harvest. Let’s break it down.

First up, it’s time to seed some warm-season favorites. Get your parsley, snap beans, carrots, summer squash, leaf lettuce, and bib lettuce in the ground. These crops love the warming soil, and June is prime time to get them started. For parsley and carrots, make sure you’re keeping the soil consistently moist during germination—it can take a couple of weeks, so patience is key.

Next, we’re looking ahead to fall with some crops that need a head start. This week, seed corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, pumpkins, and winter squash. These are your autumn heavyweights, perfect for cozy soups and roasted dishes come October. Corn needs a sunny spot and rich soil, while those brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower will appreciate a little compost mixed in. Pumpkins and winter squash? Give ‘em space to sprawl or trellis them if you’re tight on room.

Now, for you tomato lovers, it’s go-time! Transplant your tomatoes this week. Those seedlings you’ve been nurturing? They’re ready for the garden. Harden them off for a few days if you haven’t already, and plant them deep—bury about two-thirds of the stem to encourage strong roots. Pro tip: add a handful of crushed eggshells to the planting hole for a calcium boost to prevent blossom end rot.

And finally, don’t sleep on spuds! This is the week to plant a late crop of Irish potatoes. Choose a fast-maturing variety, and you’ll be digging up those creamy tubers by late summer.

Oh, and mark your calendars: the first quarter moon is on Tuesday, June 3rd. It’s a great time for planting above-ground crops like lettuce and snap beans, as the moon’s pull is said to favor leaf and fruit development. Whether you’re a lunar gardener or not, it’s a nice rhythm to sync with the seasons.

[Segment Transition Sound]

Before we wrap up, let’s talk weather. Knowing what’s coming can make or break your gardening week, so here’s the forecast for the middle Ohio Valley, summarized for you.

Through Saturday, expect some lingering showers in the mountains, thanks to northwest upslope flow. Nothing too heavy, so no worries about flooding or severe storms. The rest of the region will see improving conditions by Saturday, but brace for gusty winds as a surface low churns to the northeast. Temperatures will be chilly—highs in the 60s Saturday, about ten degrees below normal, with lows near normal in the 50s overnight.

By Sunday, an upper-level low moves out, and high pressure starts to build in. It’ll be dry but still cool, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Monday brings a warm-up as a ridge moves in, pushing highs to the mid to upper 70s with dry conditions—perfect for getting those seeds and transplants settled.

Looking ahead to the long term, Tuesday gets toasty with highs in the upper 80s under that ridge. By Wednesday, expect upper 80s to low 90s with muggy air—dew points in the mid-60s will make it feel sticky. Keep those crops watered! Later in the week, models hint at a low-pressure system bringing rain chances by Thursday and Friday, so stay tuned for updates.

That’s it for Week 23, gardeners! To recap: seed parsley, snap beans, carrots, summer squash, lettuces, and those fall crops like corn, broccoli, and pumpkins. Transplant those tomatoes, plant late potatoes, and keep an eye on that first quarter moon on June 3rd. With the weather cooling off early in the week and warming up later, you’ve got a great window to get dirty.

If you’re loving The Keep Growing Podcast, please subscribe, share it with a fellow gardener, and drop us a comment on what’s sprouting in your garden. Until next week, keep your hands in the soil and keep growing!

[Outro Music Fades Out]