June Gardening Tips

Can you believe it’s time for June Gardening Tips?

The year is almost half over, and yet, for us here in the Catskills, it’s a spectacularly beautiful time of year.

Don’t get me wrong, as much as I love the gray, dreary winters we have in this area, I greatly appreciate the colors of our VERY SHORT summer season.

WE LOVE OUR SUMMER

Since our summer is so short, we relish it all the more.

June is when we might still get some frost, but then things warm up, and the flowers begin to open.

Really good news – No AC is necessary!  That’s right, even as the days warm up, the nights generally remain cool.

A favorite thing to do for us here is to begin the harvest!  Yes, even in this cool climate there are things we harvest this early:

Rhubarb

Asparagus

Horseradish

HERBS! – Thyme, chives, chamomile, tarragon, mint

Here are my favorite June Gardening Tips:

1-   Pick and dry your harvest-ready herbs!  If you have dehydrator, great. If not, you can tie them in bundles and hang them up.  Make sure you wash them first.  Here’s how:  Place in a large bowl and fill with water.  Agitate gently.  Let them sit for a few minutes.  Lift them out onto some towels you’ve spread on a large surface, such as your dining table.  Allow to dry.  Once dry, pick off the wilted, dead pieces and either dehydrate or hang up in a bundle.

2-    Fix any fencing, borders, or decorative areas.  If you live in a colder region like us, you’ll know that your window of opportunity closes very fast.  Let’s say you’ve wanted to build that pathway to or through your garden.  Now would be a good time to plan it out, buy the materials, and execute that plan!  If your fencing is broken, leaning, or otherwise needs attention, take care of that on the first sunny day available.  Maybe you need to paint or stain an outbuilding?  Maybe some of your fruit trees need new wrap around their trunks, or perhaps some “understory” plants?  Make your list and get cracking!

3-     Change daily routines to suit your garden needs.  In the morning, get out there and check to see if there are squash bugs on your squash.  Make sure you take a bucket or bowl with soapy water in which to drown them.  There.  I said it.  Yes, I brutally murder bugs that prey upon my potential harvest.  I welcome so many other bugs, however, so I don’t mourn this “loss.”  For kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and other brassicas, try this recipe for CABBAGE PEST DETERRENT.    Put some dishes of beer out to trap some snails and slugs. We’ve had so much rain here, the slugs are almost as long as my hand!

4-     Stake your tomatoes and put your trellis’ up for your cucumbers and beans.

5-     Cut flower blooms and bring them inside.  See my post HOW TO MAKE A PRETTY FARMHOUSE BOUQUET.

MORE JUNE GARDENING TIPS:

6-     Speaking of flowers, if you are so inclined, deadhead the spent blooms.  Roses benefit from this greatly.  Also, if there are dead branches that you may have missed earlier in the season, clip those off now.

7-     Berries could use netting right about now.  We always say, “We don’t mind sharing, but we’d like some for ourselves.”  Our strawberries and Nanking cherries seem to be fair game for chipmunks, but we get a couple of handfuls.  We throw a little bit of netting on the blueberries, which helps.  Our blackberries are so abundant, we have rarely had to do anything.  There are plenty for everyone!

8-    Keep weeding and watering!  Keep your garden edges neat and clean.

9-    Live and let live.  This is just a simple reminder to tell you to enjoy your garden.  We work so hard, but sometimes we don’t take the time to stop and smell the roses(or peonies, mock orange, lilies, etc.).  Make sure you get out and relax a bit.

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These are my favorite June Gardening Tips.  What are some of your favorite tips?

Wishing you a summer filled with abundance!

♥