Nothing is more disheartening than grabbing a beautiful tomato only to find the entire bottom is soft, black and rotten. Blossom end rot (BER) affects tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and melons. Caused by insufficient calcium and uneven water during the rapid growth of the plant and its fruit, BER is easily avoidable with the proper precautions.

All vegetables need calcium for healthy development. When tomatoes, peppers, melons and eggplant can’t get enough, the tissues on the blossom end of the fruit break down. By testing your soil to determine its pH and calcium content, regularly watering and curbing fertilizer use, your susceptible veggies should be free of BER.

The best prevention occurs before planting. The soil pH determines the amount of calcium available to a plant. At lower pH levels, less calcium is available for the plant to absorb because it becomes chemically tied up in the soil. Most vegetables grow well in soils with a pH of 6.2-6.8. However, vegetables susceptible to BER require a pH of 6.5-6.8, where more calcium is available and it can be more easily absorbed, especially during rapid growth and fruiting periods. If the pH is lower than 6.5, the crop is likely to develop BER. This can also occur when the pH is correct, but the soil contains an insufficient amount of calcium.

Water fluctuations and excessive fertilizer also affect nutrient absorption. A plant requires water to absorb nutrients. If no water is present, no nutrients can be absorbed, and in addition to blossom end rot, plants may be small and weak as well as more susceptible to other pests, diseases and deficiencies.

Additionally, too much fertilizer can cause a plant to grow so quickly that the nutrient uptake cannot meet the demands of growth, leading to BER. In these cases, the plants grow so rapidly and develop produce so quickly that there isn’t time for the proper nutrient balance to be absorbed, including the right amount of calcium. Because of this accelerated growth and insufficient nutrition for the growth pace, plants will be more susceptible to blossom end rot.

Unfortunately, simply adding calcium to the soil will not stop BER this year, but it can help your soil become better conditioned for next year. However, we do carry several products to help with this year’s crop as well. Easy-to-use calcium sprays can save much of this year’s crop of tomatoes or other vulnerable produce. Come on in and our knowledgeable staff will help you find the best product for your situation, as well as for tips on how to improve your soil’s pH levels, calcium content, moisture retention and overall nutrition so blossom end rot is never a problem in your garden again.

As winter fades, one of the first signs of spring isn’t just a blooming flower—it’s the emergence of a queen bumblebee. Unlike the worker bees you see later in the year, these queens are the sole founders of new colonies. Their survival in early spring is critical for pollinator health and biodiversity.Here is how you can support these vital pollinators in your garden.

Understand the Queen’s Journey

Bumblebee queens overwinter alone in small underground chambers. When they wake up, they are depleted and searching for three essentials:

• High-energy food (nectar and pollen)
• A safe place to nest
• Shelter from fluctuating weather

Plant Early Bloomers

Because early spring flowers can be scarce, the queen is at her most vulnerable right now. You can increase her survival odds by planting early-blooming sources of nectar and pollen, such as:

• Trees & Shrubs: Willow, Red Maple, Serviceberry, Pussy Willow
• Perennials: Crocus, Hellebore, Snowdrop, Lungwort, Wild Blue Phlox

Delay Your Spring Cleanup

Sometimes the best way to help is to do nothing. Queens often hibernate beneath leaf litter and in shallow soil. To avoid disturbing them:

• Wait to rake: Delay clearing leaves until temperatures remain consistently warm.
• Avoid tilling: Do not dig deep in areas where bees were active last year.
• Leave wild spaces: Keep small patches of brush and undisturbed soil.

Create Safe Nesting Sites

Bumblebees don’t use hives; they look for protected cavities. To encourage nesting in your garden, preserve natural features like:

• Abandoned rodent burrows
• Tall, clumping grasses
• Brush piles and loose mulch

Avoid Harmful Chemicals

Early spring is the worst time for insecticides. Queens ingest chemicals from nectar, which can interfere with reproduction. Avoid systemic insecticides entirely and embrace a few “imperfect” plants—minor pest damage is a sign of a healthy, balanced ecosystem.

Provide a Water Source

Hydration is key for colony construction. Set out a shallow dish with marbles or pebbles to give the bees a safe place to land and drink without drowning.

Monitor and Adjust

Spotting a low-flying, large bee searching for a nest site is a great sign that your landscape is waking up. By supporting just one queen, you are helping to produce hundreds of future pollinators.

Ready to start planting? Visit Hilltop Nursery today, and we can guide you toward the best early bloomers for a bee-friendly landscape.

As the gray of winter finally starts to lift in March and April, there is a hidden world waking up right under our noses. While we might be eager to get outside and scrub the garden clean, the landscape is busy preparing for one of the most magical events of the year: the return of our native pollinators.

Deep inside hollow stems, tucked under layers of wet leaves, and buried in soil cavities, countless native bees are waiting. They are waiting for the sun to stick around and the warmth to settle in before they emerge to feed, pollinate, and build their nests.

So, how do we welcome these vital guests? Surprisingly, the best thing you can do right now is often nothing at all. Here is how you can transform your yard into a safe haven for pollinators this spring.

Master the Art of Being Messy

It is tempting to grab the rake the moment the snow melts, but patience is a virtue here. Native bees do not all wake up at once; many hit the snooze button until daytime temperatures are consistently above 50°F.

• Leave the leaves: Hold off on raking or blowing leaves until the weather is consistently warm. Those piles are often blankets for sleeping larvae.
• Save the stems: Keep your hollow perennial stems standing at about 8–18 inches tall. These are natural hotels for cavity-nesting bees.
• Keep the seed heads: Avoid removing last year’s growth too early, as it provides shelter in unpredictable spring weather.

Serve the First Meal

When bees finally emerge, they have burned through their winter energy reserves and are essentially running on fumes. They need high-quality fuel immediately. Early-blooming plants are their lifeline. Consider adding these Zone-appropriate favorites to your landscape:

• Trees and Shrubs: Witch Hazel, Red Maple, Serviceberry, and Pussy Willow offer massive amounts of pollen.
• Flowers: Hellebore, Bloodroot, Crocus, Snowdrop, and Hepatica provide accessible nectar.

The Ground Beneath Your Feet

Unlike the honeybees we often see in cartoons, most native bees are solitary and don’t live in hives. Many of them actually live underground. To support them, you need to rethink your mulch strategy.

• Leave it bare: Try to leave some patches of soil free of mulch. Ground-nesting bees need access to the dirt to dig their tunnels.
• No tilling: Avoid tilling your garden beds during this season, as you might disturb resting bees.
• Create a wild corner: Set aside a hidden spot in the yard where you do minimal cleanup and leave natural debris.

Create a Safe Zone

Nothing ruins a welcome party like toxic chemicals. Synthetic pesticides and systemic insecticides can linger in the ecosystem and harm bees before flowers even bloom.

• Skip the spray: Avoid neonicotinoids or products labeled as systemic.
• Trust nature: Encourage a balance of beneficial insects to handle pests naturally rather than reaching for the spray bottle.

The Watering Hole

Bees work hard and need hydration to sustain energy, build nests, and regulate their body temperature. However, they are not great swimmers.

• Shallow is best: Use a shallow dish or saucer filled with water.
• Add landing pads: Place stones or marbles in the water so the bees have a safe place to land and drink without drowning.

Plan for the Long Haul

While spring is crucial, your garden needs to be a reliable food source until the first frost of autumn. Aim to have at least three different pollinator-friendly plants blooming in every season. This ensures that as one flower fades, another opens, providing a continuous buffet for your buzzing visitors.

Watch and Learn

This spring, turn your garden into a living classroom. Keep an eye out for the first sightings of bees and watch which plants they flock to. Observing these patterns will help you make better planting choices for next year.

If you are ready to start but aren’t sure which early bloomers are right for your specific soil or light conditions, come chat with us. The team at Hilltop Nursery is here to help you cultivate a space where nature can thrive.

You may want to grow many different things in your vegetable garden, but weeds probably aren’t on your favorite edibles list. Weeding can be an enormous time-drain and is one of the the least liked gardening chores. What’s wonderful is that we have so many weed control methods to choose from; there’s a solution for every type of gardener and their schedule.

Safe Control Methods in Edible Gardens

When it comes to vegetable gardening, many gardeners are very particular about what goes into their soil and onto their plants, as it will eventually end up on their plates and in their bodies. Here are some indisputable safe and effective ways to control weeds, without chemicals, in your veggie or any other garden for that matter.

• Apply corn gluten meal to prevent weed seeds from germinating (don’t use if direct seeding your garden as all seeds will be affected).
• Plan your garden to crowd edible plants together, effectively crowding out weeds because there isn’t space left for them to grow.
• Manually pull weeds when the soil is wet and roots are looser. This can be done after a natural rainfall or after supplemental watering.
• Hoe when the soil is dry to break apart weeds and damage their roots. Pick up larger weeds after hoeing so they cannot reestablish themselves.
• Mulch with salt hay which contains no weed seeds. The hay will shield weed seeds from the sunlight and moisture they need for germinating.
• Lay biodegradable and compostable mulch film down to create a firm barrier to keep weeds out or to prevent existing weed seeds from germinating.
• Attract seed-loving birds such as finches and sparrows, which will happily eat hundreds of weed seeds each day for natural control.
• Consider raised beds or container gardening to more effectively control weeds and make any remaining weeding easier.
• Use fire (with all appropriate safety precautions) to burn out unwanted weeds, especially in pathway areas or along garden borders.
• Treat exposed weeds with boiling water – the hotter the better – to cook and kill them. Several treatments may be needed for the best effects.

Weeds can be some of our worst enemies in the garden, and it is impossible to eliminate every single weed all the time. By using multiple methods and keeping on top of the task, however, it is possible to minimize weeds and make this chore less onerous, without resorting to harsh chemicals.

Water is critical for a healthy garden and landscape, but how much water is too much, how much isn’t enough and how much is just right? Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific answer that suits every gardener’s needs. All plants have different water requirements, which change depending on the type of soil, amount of sun, temperature, humidity, season, maturity of the plant and overall growing environment.

Initial Watering

All plants, including specimens described as drought tolerant, will require water when first planted. This is because many of the smaller roots responsible for water uptake are usually damaged during shipment and planting. Build a small circular soil wall around the plant to contain water while it percolates into the soil. Watch new plants carefully and keep them well-watered as their roots settle in and they adapt to their new or transplanted location.

Groups Are Good

It’s a good idea to have some knowledge of the plant’s water requirements when determining the location in the garden. It will keep watering simple if you plant a new specimen near other plants with similar water requirements. In this way, there is no need to readjust an irrigation system or watering schedule, since all the plants in the group have similar needs.

Need a Drink?

Because plants’ watering needs can change through the season, how can you tell if a plant needs more water? Most plants will wilt as the soil becomes too dry. The leaves may droop, and if it’s an upright plant, the top ends may become soft and bend over. Glossy plants may begin to look dull, while thick leaves will shrivel. If you notice these signs, it is time to water! Most plants will revive if watered quickly enough, but be sure to water deeply rather than allowing moisture to run off the surface.

How can you tell if you should water? Push your finger into the soil an inch or two from the base of a plant. Perfect soil should feel cool and slightly moist. Some soil should stick to your finger. If none does, it’s too dry. If it’s muddy, don’t water. Overwatering kills plants by depriving the roots of oxygen. Some gardeners use water meters to see the precise amount of moisture. If you’re unsure, this tool can be helpful.

Adjusting Your Watering Schedule

The amount you have to water your plants or landscape can change from day to day. A cool morning will allow more dew to form and drain to the soil, or a sudden afternoon thunderstorm can be enough water to keep your plants hydrated for a few days. An overly hot day, however, can rapidly deplete water resources and extra watering may be required. Check your plants and landscape regularly to be sure they are getting adequate water, and make adjustments as needed to keep them suitably moist without either too much or too little water.

Need help monitoring water? Stop by to see our collection of water gauges, meters and monitors that can help you be sure you are watering your landscape correctly.

Autumn is the catalog time of year, when gardeners devour and drool over the spring-blooming bulb catalogs, eagerly fantasizing about next year’s flowerbeds. We picture drifts of crocus and gaily swaying tulips, lush daffodils and glorious hyacinths. Snowdrops, irises, daylilies… Ah, the garden will be great this next spring.

Then we remember last spring – hours of labor and dozens of bulbs meticulously planted, but only one or two emerged to flaunt their blooms. What happened?

Squirrels and Bulbs

Squirrels like flower bulbs just as much as gardeners, but unfortunately not for their beauty. From the looks of the remains – chewed remnants, dug up holes, battered foliage – those bulbs became expensive squirrel food. Fortunately, if you want to plant daffodils, alliums, scilla, hyacinths, squills or fritillaria, your bulbs should be safe. Generally, squirrels don’t eat these. But how can you protect the bulbs that make the tastiest squirrel treats?

Keeping Squirrels Out of the Flowerbeds

Go ahead and order your bulbs. While you’re waiting for delivery, decide which of the three basic methods you will use to prevent the squirrel attacks. A small investment of time and materials will protect your bulbs.

1. Mesh Barriers
   Wire mesh is the best protection to keep squirrels away from bulbs. Dig the hole for several bulbs, make a “cage” using mesh around the bulbs and fill in the soil. If the squirrels dig, the mesh will prevent them from eating the bulbs. You may also plant the bulbs as usual and place a layer of mesh on the soil. You’ll have to secure it to keep it in place then cover with mulch. Be sure the mesh layer is wide enough so squirrels cannot easily dig around the sides to reach the bulbs.

2. Repellants
   Garden centers sell many different squirrel repellants, and deer repellants also repel squirrels. Some gardeners swear to the effective use of red pepper flakes mixed in the soil around, and over, the bulbs. Many squirrels don’t like spicy tastes, but pepper flakes may need to be replaced after heavy spring rains to be the most effective.

3. Sharp Gravel
   Adding sharp gravel to the soil around and over the bulbs also deters squirrels from digging. Not only do they not like the feel of the gravel on their sensitive paws, but the gravel – which is heavier than dirt or mulch – is more difficult to move, so the bulbs stay safer.

There is another option to keep squirrels away from bulbs without completely discouraging their visits. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em – because squirrels look for the easiest food sources, a squirrel feeding station stocked with corn and peanuts may be just the thing to keep the squirrels from looking for your buried treasures!

Many gardeners believe garden gloves are easy to do without. Those of us who love gardening enjoy the feel of soil running through our fingers, and we don’t mind the line of dirt under our fingernails. We prefer to not have anything impede the dexterity needed to sow small seeds or pinch a plant, and we like the textures of the plants we cultivate. We would rather spend our budgeted gardening dollars on the latest herbaceous sensation rather than unnecessary gloves, and, frankly, nobody likes sweaty hands.

Why Gloves Matter

Despite the prejudice against covering our hands, gloves are the single most important piece of garden clothing that a person should own. In addition to the fact that they come in every color and pattern under the sun, making them an attractive and matching accessory to your garden wardrobe, garden gloves provide many benefits, such as…

• Improving your grip on tools, minimizing accidental drops that can damage expensive tools.
• Keeping hands warm in cold weather so we can garden in comfort even in early spring or late fall.
• Keeping hands dry in wet weather to prevent skin irritation and problems that could limit our gardening.
• Preventing contact with animal waste that may carry bacteria, mites or other pests that could harbor diseases.
• Helping avert calluses and blisters that can make even simple gardening tasks painful and unpleasant.
• Protecting hands from cuts, splinters and thorn pricks from aggressive plants so we aren’t limited in our gardening choices.
• Preventing contact with poisonous plant oils that cause rashes and allergic dermatitis.
• Keeping nails clean and help prevent nail breakage so our hands can be as beautiful as our garden.
• Protecting from soil borne fungal and bacterial infections that could be spread around the garden easily.

With so many great reasons to use garden gloves, which ones should you choose?

Selecting Gloves

Gardening gloves come in an almost limitless array of colors, styles and patterns. Features may include…

• Different types of fabric or weave densities that affect air circulation to keep hands cool and comfortable
• Anti-slip grips or rubber palms and fingers for excellent traction in all types of gardening conditions
• Broad, wide cuffs for an easy fit or snug, form-fitting cuffs for a secure fit that won’t let in any dirt or debris
• Different sizes and proportions to suit men, women and children

With so many gloves on the market there’s a style available for every garden chore, season, weather condition, hand size and preference. Check out our selection today. We are happy to help you choose a pair or two that work best for you and your gardening needs.

Every garden requires pollinators, and bees are among the finest. Without them there would be limited flowers and far fewer fruits and vegetables. Did you know that about 30 percent of the food we eat depends on the pollination of bees, including onions, cashews, coffee, carrots, chocolate and vanilla? If we don’t protect these prolific pollinators, our landscapes, gardens and diets will be irrevocably changed.

About Bees

Although there are many bees that are great pollinators, like carpenter, mining, sweat and cellophane bees, some of the most well known and easily identified bees are the honeybee and bumblebee. Both of these bees live in social colonies and are cavity nesters. Because these bees are active all summer long, they require a constant supply of floral nectar close to their hive and they thrive in flower gardens, orchards and other areas with abundant blooms.

Unfortunately, both these types of bees – along with many others – are disappearing rapidly, and two key threats are to blame.

• Habitat Loss: As more natural habitat is lost to development, there are fewer nesting locations and inadequate food supplies for bees. While meadows developed into resorts and parks disappearing for strip malls are obvious examples of development, other less visible developments that can hurt bees include widespread use of flower cultivars that do not produce adequate nectar, eliminating critical bee food sources.
• Pesticide Drift: Widespread, abundant spraying of pesticides to protect crops, lawns and parks can inadvertently hurt bees. Stronger pesticides can kill bees directly, while less potent toxins can contaminate nectar and will gradually build up to fatal levels in bees’ systems. Even if pesticides are not sprayed in areas where bees are abundant, high level spraying can easily be spread by wind patterns into critical bee habitats.

Inviting Bees to Your Garden

Fortunately, it is easy to bring more bees to your garden and encourage healthy bee populations. To support local bees…

• Planting a variety of flowers that will bloom throughout the entire summer to provide ongoing food supplies.
• Opt for native flower varieties that will be more easily recognized and used by bees, instead of introduced flowers that are less familiar.
• Eliminate chemical use in your yard, as much as possible, including on your lawn, garden and trees, especially while plants are in flower.
• Provide bees a safe place for shelter and to lay their eggs. A wood pile is suitable, or you can invest in a specialized bee house.
• Make sure that there is an available water source for your bees. A bird bath or any simple water basin works just fine.

Want to bring bees to your yard and help them feel at home? Start with this list of native plants bees love, and ask our experts for more tips about keeping your lawn and garden bee-friendly!

Native Plants That Attract Bees

• Apple (Malus)
• Aster (Aster)
• Blackberry & Raspberry (Rubis)
• Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
• Blueberries (Vaccinium)
• Currant (Ribes)
• Elder (Sambucus)
• Goldenrod (Solidago)
• Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum)
• Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium)
• Lupine (Lupinus)
• Penstemon (Penstemon)
• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)
• Redbud (Cercis)
• Rhododendron (Rhododendron)
• Sage (Salvia)
• Stonecrop (Sedum)
• Sunflower (Helianthus)
• Willow (Salix)

Deer may be beautiful and elegant, but they aren’t always welcome in the garden. Even just a few visiting deer can tear up a landscape, eat an entire crop, destroy a carefully cultivated bed and cause other havoc, such as creating a traffic hazard, damaging bird feeders or leaving behind unwanted “gifts” on sidewalks and pathways. But how can you keep deer out of your yard and away from your garden and landscape?

Popular Deer Deterrent Techniques

People try all sorts of home-grown methods to keep deer from destroying their landscape and gardens. Some of the more common tactics include…

• 8 ft. fencing, including wire or electric fences
• Big, loud dogs on guard in the yard
• Deer repellents such as commercial chemicals
• Predator urine or other anti-deer scents
• Motion detectors connected to lights or sprinklers

All of these methods work but are limited in their effectiveness. Fencing is costly and unsightly. Repellents and urine wash away. Sprinklers or lighted areas can be easily avoided. So what can you do to keep deer away permanently?

Deer are creatures of habit and they are easily scared. Anything you can do to mix up their habits or make them think there is danger nearby might be enough to make them go elsewhere in search of food. But deer aren’t foolish and if they realize the danger isn’t real, they will return. Therefore, you must rotate any scare tactics you try and reapply repellents frequently. This can be a lot of work to keep your garden safe, but you can make your garden do the work for you.

Plants Deer Won’t Like

While deer in large herds with insufficient food will eat almost any garden vegetation, particularly in harsh winters, you can opt for plants that aren’t popular with deer to minimize deer damage. At the same time, avoid planting favorite deer plants, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, yews, roses, Japanese maples, winged euonymous, hemlocks and arborvitae, as well as any edible garden produce.

So what can you plant in your landscape to discourage deer? There are many attractive plants deer will avoid, including…

Trees

• Chinese Paper Birch
• Colorado Blue Spruce
• Dragon Lady Holly
• Douglas Fir
• Japanese Cedar
• San Jose Holly
• Serviceberry
• Scotch Pine

Shrubs & Climbers

• Barberry
• Bearberry
• Blueberry Elder
• Boxwood
• Caryopteris
• Common Buckhorn
• Creeping Wintergreen
• European Privet
• Japanese Andromeda
• Japanese Plum Yew
• Leucothoe
• Rose of Sharon
• Russian Olive

Try using these less deer-friendly plants to create a dense border around your yard and garden area, and deer will be less inclined to work their way toward the tastier plants. When combined with other deterrent techniques, it is possible to have a stunning landscape without being stunned by deer damage.

Autumn is an excellent time to apply horticultural oil. The oil smothers many soft-bodied insects and hard-shelled scales that are impenetrable to many insecticides, and can therefore help control some of the most stubborn insect populations. But is it right for your plants?

About Horticultural Oil

Horticultural oil, or hort oil, is typically derived from petroleum, and is a type of ecologically-friendly mineral oil. Some cottonseed and soybean oils can also be effective horticultural oils. Emulsifying agents are typically added to these oils so they can be mixed with water and used as a spray, which helps distribute them evenly over plant foliage to be most effective.

Pests That Don’t Like Horticultural Oils

Different types of horticultural oils can be effective against many unwanted garden pests, including…

• Spider mites
• Aphids
• Whiteflies
• Mealy bugs
• Psyllids
• Lace bugs
• Caterpillars

In addition to smothering the larvae or insects directly, the heavy oil also makes it difficult for many insects to crawl therefore starving them to death and preventing them from spreading diseases from plant to plant. Additionally, the oil repels many insects looking for winter homes. The oils also act as fungicide against powdery mildew, rust and leaf spot on some plants.

Applying Horticultural Oils

Application of horticultural oils is easy, requiring only a simple hose-attached sprayer. Because oil and water do not mix, frequent agitation by shaking is required even if the oils are mixed with other agents to be more sprayable. These products are most effective if applied when plants are dormant, since oil-based products can burn and harm actively growing foliage, buds, flowers and fruit. Some lighter weight, summer-formulated oils are available, but they should be used only sparingly and only if absolutely necessary. Autumn and winter are the best seasons to apply horticultural oils when insects are a problem, though autumn applications can occasionally cause problems with plants dying back and other winter damage. Because the oils can evaporate and dissipate quickly, they should only be used when insects are present, otherwise they will be ineffective. In freezing weather the oil coverage will be inconsistent, so cool but not bitterly cold temperatures are best.

Of course, always follow the instructions for proper application rates, plant sensitivity and ideal weather conditions to ensure the most effective treatment. Because these oils are still pesticides, protective gear such as gloves and goggles should also be worn to avoid accidental irritation or more severe contamination.

Using hort oils can be a great way to control insects on your plants, but only if the oils are used appropriately. Come in for a consultation to see if these products can help end your insect problems.