Make your garden checklist

May signals the beginning of the year's peak garden growing period. It also ends the rainy season, so flowers, plants and vegetables need to be surrounded by mulch to better hold in water and prevent erosion, according to experts at Agromin, a Camarillobased manufacturer of premium soil products. Significant rainfall isn't expected until October or later.

Time to prune shrubs: Prune (thin and shape) spring blooming shrubs as soon as the blooms are finished.

Thin fruit trees: Fruit trees produce more fruit than can grow to maturity. Some of the immature fruit will fall naturally during May. Thin the remaining smaller fruit from the branches. That way, stronger fruit will grow larger and tastier, and smaller fruit won't weigh down tree branches.

Watering the lawn: As the weather warms, water-loving lawns will need at least an inch of water each week- more when the weather turns hot. Soil should be moist at least six inches into the ground. If the soil is not moist to that level, the result will be brown patches and thin cover. The best time to water is in the early morning. Watering at night encourages fungus growth.

Watering the flowers: Water only the soil around flowers, not the flowers themselves. Watering flowers can lead to fungus diseases. Every so often, however, lightly water flowers to remove dust or mud.

Experiment with vegetables: Besides the standard tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and corn, try planting new vegetables in the garden. Be creative and plant such items as beans, garlic, lettuce, sunflowers, basil and cilantro.

For more planting and gardening tips, visit www.agromin.com.