Weekend Gardener: Lime, Crabgrass and Crepe Myrtles

This week our Weekend Garden expert, Laura Stone from said it’s time to, “Make sure your crabgrass preventers are down on your lawn.” Crabgrass seeds germinate each year when nighttime soil temperatures reach over 50 degrees for 3 days.

It’s also a great weekend to lime your vegetable garden, according to Stone. Most vegetables prefer a soil pH of 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 14 (7 is neutral). If your soil is too acid, you won't grow great veggies. The best way to find out is to test your soil. If your soil is below 6.5, adding lime is the answer.

Finally, Stone advises you to prune your crepe myrtles this weekend. Crepe myrtles bloom on new growth, so pruning them now won’t reduce summer blooms. Plus, it’s much easier to see all the branches that need pruning before the leaves arrive.