June in the Garden

Photo by Tenley Nelson

By Tenley Nelson- Wood Frog Farm

With a few hot July days under our belts complete with sun kissed skin and bug bites, it is almost hard to remember how cold and rainy the month of June turned out to be. I have always relied on June to be sunny, hot, and dry and I plan my projects accordingly. This year was not the norm with cold nighttime temperatures and overcast days dominating our weather.

After the mad flurry to get the garden in with a spring delayed by late melting snow, the plants were in stasis for weeks as if they were affected by a massive case of transplant shock. And perhaps they were.

Even though my starts were hardened off, it was cold out especially as night and with highs in the day just in the 40s. It took ages to feel like growth was starting to happen when usually things explode in the heat and light of June.

Other homestead projects occupied my time though. The horse fence was repaired in anticipation of the horses coming home June 3 for the summer from their winter board. With the super high water, we even had to use the canoe to fix the swamp lines.

I got the tunnels up and planted by the second week of June. They were ready to go and so were the plants, but I had delayed and was hoping for warmer temperatures. Eventually I gave up and planted out the squash, beans, herbs, and tomatoes. They survived the chilly early June, but their development is late as well.

The squash finally started producing flowers but only females so we had to eat the tender young ones as they will not mature if not pollinated. Next year I will start a zucchini in the greenhouse to ensure that I have male flowers ready to go in case this happens again.

I overdid it on the chickens this year with what seemed like a good idea in February. When I took my farm helper to the airport, I picked up my 20 meat chick order on the way home. The family has rebelled strongly this year against the olfactory experience of stock tanks of chickens in the house.

It turns out 20 is just too many and this was the second batch having already raised 16 layers and 3 turkey poults inside in April and May and moved them to the coop. These chicks were already 2 weeks old, and it was a relief to finally get them out of the house on June 22 after using an old collapsed car canopy frame to build a moveable chicken shelter.

It will be even more of a relief when it is time to dispatch the meat chickens, along with any roosters that emerge from the batch we incubated, and the turkeys to freezer camp. It has been bird chaos with only the meat chickens contained. All the others fly over my fencing and happily free range like wild things.

Midmonth I built and planted a new strawberry bed and moved the greenhouse back across the yard. The plants in the greenhouse have been happy in their warm cocoon out of the wind. Mini green tomatoes are on the vine and by the end of June the cucumbers have exploded in production.

Warm weather finally arrived by the end of the month to be enjoyed along with fierce mosquitos and the appearance of horse and deer flies. The weeds too, especially the equisetum, have enjoyed both the steady rains, warmth, and my inability to make time to remove them to grow thick and tall.

I harvested the first lettuce crop to sell, and we have been enjoying lettuce and cucumber salads every night as well as delicious spring onions.

Finally, the plants seem to be advancing in leaps and bounds. Carrot fronds wave in the breeze. The potato plants are nearly ready for mulch. The garlic has started putting scapes out. The peas are beginning to crawl up the trellis. Kale is ready to start harvesting and the brassica crops are getting bigger. The lettuce plantings are beautiful. It might be a slow year, but food is steadily growing, and the near future is looking to be a time of plenty.

From my garden to yours, I wish you soft nighttime rain and warm sunny days (with a breeze to keep off the bugs) to enjoy your growing bounty.

For full digital access to current and back issues of the Copper River Record, or for weekly print paper deilvery, subscribe!