JACKSON, Mich — Gary Beck says it's not too late to plant the FREE vegetable plants he's giving away at Beck's Flower Shop and Gardens: "You should be able to take these and have some late season production."
WATCH THE VIDEO for some advice on how to plant those veggies and keep your garden productive through the end of summer:
"We still have hot and sweet peppers, we've got some kale, red cabbage, some collards…got some Swiss chard, red cabbage, regular green cabbage…" says Beck of his vegetable plant giveaway.
And because it's getting towards the middle of the summer, Beck is letting Jackson neighbors have the plants for free.
I asked him: is it still possible to make these veggies work in the late season?
"Yes, it is," says Beck. "Basically, with the peppers — you want to take off the existing flowers that are starting to produce, so that way you get a root system. They will produce more flower, and then produce more fruit..."
Beck says the same goes for tomatoes — take the fruit and blossoms off.
What kind of late harvest can you expect?
"The cabbages and that kind of stuff will really depend upon what kind of weather conditions we get from now on," says Beck. "It's up to you to make sure that the ground stays good and moist, and that they have a really good growing, and try to keep the rabbits, and the woodchucks, and the deer out."
Over at J. Alexander's Summit Gardens, Owner Hope Weishaupt says plants here won't go on sale until later.
"It's still very, very busy. People are still landscaping and plant, and we've got another truckload of plants coming in tomorrow," she says.
"So, too early for sales?" I ask her.
"Too early for sales."
"You think maybe later?"
"Probably about Labor Day."
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