Gardening Tips for June

June Gardening Article
by Neil DeWitt

I hope things have been going well in your garden. The “first phase” of your summer garden should have all been completed by the end of May. What I call the “second phase” of the summer garden is the time for taking it a little easier to rest up from all the work you did in “phase one” and to get rested for all the work to come in “phase three” when you are so busy harvesting and trying to figure out what to do with all the excess crops that everyone is tired of eating everyday! June is when you can really begin reaping the rewards of a bountiful harvest. Many of your crops will be ripening and some will even be nearing the end of their lifecycle, such as sweet corn. So now is the time for a second planting of sweet corn and the end of the month is the time to get some tomato and pepper seeds started for transplanting for a late fall crop at the end of July.

While there is a bit of a lull this month, I thought it would be a good time to give you some tips about composting and mulching. Also, I have some tips about how to tell when crops are ready for harvesting. And finally, since we talked about fertilizing last month, I would say that typically we don’t add any fertilizer to the garden in June because our hot temperatures are truly upon us. Plants don’t tolerate fertilizers well in hot weather.

We will start first with some tips about recognizing when to pick your crops.
· Pick cantaloupe when the skin is well netted and the fruit slips from the vine with little pressure.
· Corn is ready when the tassels turn brown, “milk” comes out of the kernels if they are gently pricked with a fingernail.
· Most peppers are sweeter after they turn color, but pick them when they are full-size and the skin is firm and shiny.
· New potatoes should be pulled after the plant fully flowers. However, for full-size potatoes wait until the plant tops begin to brown and die.
· Watermelons are ready when the fruit has quit becoming larger and they feel heavy for their size. The tendrils closest to the fruit begin to turn brown and the watermelon will often have yellow spots on the underside.
· Harvest broccoli and cauliflower while the buds are tight and before they show color.
· Cucumbers and all types of summer squash are best when they are small. Try to pick while the flower is still attached or when the fruit is less than 4 or 5 inches in length.
· Harvest bunching onions anytime, just being sure to leave at least one onion in each clump to continue to multiply. Pull bulb-forming onions in the early summer, once the tops turn brown. Pick off the flowers as they develop, or bend the tops over to discourage the plant from starting the seed forming process.
· Pick radishes when they are small, when the top of the root is first visible. They are sweeter and not as hot when small.
Two other helpful tips:) Place clean straw under vining fruits like tomato, squash, cucumbers, and melons to keep fruit off the ground, or place a small board or brick under young fruit to keep it off the ground while it ripens. ) Place pieces of flat boards on the ground near vining plants and the squash bugs will accumulate underneath them at night. Early in the mornings you can then squash those squash bugs, thus controlling them from crop destruction without the use of chemicals!

Composting is one of the most important things gardeners can do. A good compost pile recycles vegetable scraps and other wastes from the garden and yard. Using compost is a way of “harvesting” free fertilizer for our garden, saving money and reducing the need for other soil supplements. Composting is a way of being “green” which has recently been getting so much attention. It also reduces the amount of garbage our community has to deal with. Not only does compost contain essential nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, it often contains trace elements you don’t ordinarily find in commercial fertilizers.

Make your compost pile by alternating layers of dry brown leaves, grass clippings, hay, straw, or even newspaper with green plant material or vegetable /plant waste, each layer being about two inches thick. After each layer, sprinkle a little horse or cow manure, or dry dog food in the pile to serve as an activator. Alfalfa meal is probably the best activator of all, but is not that easy to find. Commercial activators are also available and very effective. Moisten the pile thoroughly and keep it moist, but not soaked. Turn the pile weekly to keep the center loose and to allow air to circulate through the pile. A good compost pile is one-third each of material, air, and moisture. The pile will get hot (preferably 140 to 150 degrees within a couple of days) and will reheat similarly within a couple of days of turning. Course compost can be ready to be used in the garden within 15 to 20 days, becoming finer from the decomposition process the longer it is left in the pile to continue breaking down. Remember, it is important to never use any type of meat waste/scraps in your compost pile.

Your compost can be used in a variety of ways, such as mixing it in with your seed starting mixture, using it as a starter fertilizer for your transplants, and it can be used as a side-dressing or top-dressing for plants throughout the growing season.

Finally, in our hot summer weather, mulching is a must. Mulch is a thick blanket of material laid on the ground around your plants that blocks the hot sun’s rays, prevents weeds from growing, holds moisture in the soil, and keeps soil temperatures constant and cool. Grass clippings, bark chips, peat moss, pine needles, leaves, sawdust, straw, newspaper, black plastic, etc.; all can be used as effective mulch. Personally, my favorite “mulch” is a living mulch of vegetables planted so close together that they do everything mulch is supposed to do as their leaves form a canopy over the garden soil! The choice is yours, and as they say: “Just do it!”