You step outside and notice your bean leaves look like they've been turned into lace. Your roses have ragged petals. Your basil suddenly has holes everywhere. Then you spot them—shiny metallic green beetles with copper-colored wings, happily feasting on your plants. Meet the Japanese Beetle, one of the most recognizable (and frustrating) garden pests of summer. The good news? They're easy to identify. The bad news? They rarely travel alone. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬? Japanese beetles are about ½ inch long with a brilliant metallic green body and coppery-bronze wing covers. Along each side of their abdomen are small tufts of white hairs, which help distinguish them from other beetles. Adults emerge from the soil in early summer and immediately begin feeding. They often gather in groups, and once a few beetles find a favorite plant, many more usually follow. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐚𝐭? Japanese beetles have a huge appetite and feed on more than 300 kinds of plants. Some of their favorites include: 🌹 Roses 🍅 Tomatoes 🫘 Green beans 🌿 Basil 🍇 Grapes 🍓 Strawberries 🍎 Fruit trees 🌺 Hibiscus While they can feed on many ornamentals, vegetable gardeners often notice them first on beans, basil, and roses. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 Look for: ✔ Metallic green beetles with bronze wings ✔ Leaves that look "skeletonized," with only the veins remaining ✔ Ragged flowers and petals ✔ Groups of beetles feeding together ✔ Chewed fruit and foliage Unlike many pests that hide, Japanese beetles feed right out in the open. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 A single beetle isn't usually a major concern. But dozens feeding together can quickly: • Skeletonize leaves • Damage flowers • Reduce photosynthesis • Stress young plants • Reduce vegetable and fruit production Their feeding also attracts more beetles, making early action especially important. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 The sooner you begin controlling them, the better. ✔ Hand-pick beetles early in the morning when they're sluggish. Be careful not to crush the beetles when removing them, as this can release pheromones and attract bigger populations to your yard.

Cleveland or Toledo :)

We've spent the past week talking about all the things you can still plant in June. We've covered: ✅ Vegetables ✅ Herbs ✅ Flowers ✅ Fast-growing crops ✅ Succession planting And hopefully we've convinced a few gardeners that June is far from too late to grow something amazing. Now it's time for a challenge! 🌞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 Not your entire garden. Not every grow bag. Not every planter on your deck. Just one. Find a container that needs a fresh start. Maybe it's: * An empty pot waiting for a new plant * A container where spring crops have finished * A planter that could use a splash of color * A lonely grow bag that's been sitting unused Choose just one container and give it a June refresh. 🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡? Almost anything! You could: 🌱 Plant a new vegetable 🌿 Add an herb 🌸 Plant flowers 🫘 Start a fast-growing crop ♻️ Replace a finished spring crop 🪴 Rearrange and improve an existing container There are no wrong answers. The goal is simply to take action. 💚 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 Sometimes we look at our gardens and see all the things we haven't done yet. The weeds. The empty pots. The unfinished projects. The plants we meant to start weeks ago. But gardening isn't built in giant leaps. It's built one container at a time. One seed at a time. One planting session at a time. Today's challenge is proof that progress doesn't have to be perfect. 📸 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐔𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡! Once you've refreshed your container: 📷 Take a photo 📷 Share it in the comments 📷Tell us what you planted We'd love to see: * Before and after pictures * New seedlings * Fresh flowers * Herbs getting a new home * Vegetable containers ready for summer Every garden, every skill level, and every growing space is welcome. 🌎 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 One of the best things about our community is seeing what gardeners across the country are growing. Someone's idea today might become another member's project tomorrow. Your refreshed container could inspire dozens of gardeners to get outside and plant something this weekend.

Yesterday we talked about how June is far from too late to plant. Today, let's answer the question many gardeners are asking: "𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲... 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?" The good news is that there are plenty of vegetables that thrive when planted in June. Some will reward you with a quick harvest, while others will keep producing well into late summer and even fall. If you've got an empty pot, a grow bag waiting to be filled, or a spring crop that's finished, here are some excellent choices. 🚀 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭? Sometimes we need a gardening win sooner rather than later. These crops grow quickly and can be harvested in a matter of weeks. 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 5-gallon container or larger 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭: 50–60 days 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭: Bush beans are productive, easy to grow, and don't require a trellis like pole beans. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞: Overwatering. Let the top inch of soil dry before watering again. 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞:: 1–2 gallon container, window box, or shallow planter 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 25–35 days 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭: One of the fastest vegetables you can grow. 𝑪𝙤𝒎𝙢𝒐𝙣 𝙈𝒊𝙨𝒕𝙖𝒌𝙚: Planting too close together. Crowded radishes stay small and struggle to form bulbs. 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞:: Almost any container 6 inches deep or more 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 30–60 days 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭: Perfect for small spaces and continual harvesting. 𝑪𝙤𝒎𝙢𝒐𝙣 𝙈𝒊𝙨𝒕𝙖𝒌𝙚: Harvesting the entire plant instead of trimming the greens and allowing regrowth. 🥒 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫? If you're looking to maximize production, these vegetables offer big rewards. 𝐂𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 5 gallons minimum, 7–10 gallons preferred 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭:​ 55–70 days 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭: A single healthy cucumber plant can provide dozens of cucumbers. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞: Skipping the trellis. Vertical growth improves airflow and saves valuable space. 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 3–5 gallons 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭: 60–90 days depending on variety 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭: Peppers love warm soil and sunny locations.

Have you looked at your containers lately and thought: "𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝐼 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝐼'𝑚 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟." If so, you're not alone. Every June, gardeners start comparing themselves to the pictures they see online. Someone is harvesting tomatoes. Someone else has overflowing baskets of flowers. Meanwhile, you may still have empty pots sitting on the deck waiting for attention. Here's the good news: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭. In fact, many vegetables, herbs, and flowers actually prefer the warm soil temperatures we have right now. While some spring crops may be slowing down, there's still plenty of time to grow a productive and beautiful container garden. The secret isn't focusing on what you missed. The secret is focusing on what you can plant today. 🌎𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞 One of the wonderful things about our community is that gardeners come from all over the country. Some members are harvesting peas. Others are just planting them. Some gardeners are battling summer heat while others are finally seeing nighttime temperatures warm enough for tomatoes and peppers. That's why comparing your garden to someone else's rarely helps. The calendar may say June, but your growing season depends on your local conditions. Instead of asking: "𝐴𝑚 𝐼 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑?" Try asking: "𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡?" That small shift changes everything. 🌱 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 If you'd like results relatively quickly, consider: - Bush Beans - Radishes - Green Onions - Baby Lettuce (cooler regions) - Arugula Many of these can provide a harvest in just a few weeks. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭-𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 Warm weather gardeners still have excellent options: - Cucumbers - Peppers - Eggplant - Okra - Basil These plants often appreciate the warmer soil temperatures that June provides. 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 Want to brighten up your patio, deck, or balcony? Try: - Zinnias - Marigolds - Nasturtiums - Moss Rose (Portulaca) Not only are they beautiful, but many pollinators love them too.