June Update
Behind schedule? Or planting precisely when we mean to?
Drought and Wildfires
Today we have rain! A fairly steady misting drizzle since early morning, and expected to continue into the night. This comes after weeks of dry heat, which just wasn’t right because if we can’t make comments about the humidity then what kind of Midwest life is this? The temperature has also dropped 20 degrees overnight, but I like a cozy sweatshirt so it’s all good.
We finished planting the back yard gardens yesterday. The inadequacy of our recent watering was made apparent. We’d dig a hole for a seedling, and beneath the top inch of watered soil would be bone-dry dirt that rose in a particulate cloud. Most of the squash seedlings were quite sad looking, having gone pale and weak during their excessively long time cramped in trays. In an unusual twist, the watermelon seedlings appeared the most robust. Could this be the year we successfully grow watermelon? I shall hold my breath, cross my fingers, throw salt over my shoulder, knock on wood, and let you know.
In addition to the regionally uncharacteristic dry heat, we’ve had hazy skies and air quality warnings from the fires in Canada. My rebellious moments are rarely well timed, and the day earlier this week that I spent outside potting & planting despite the severe air quality index warning left me with a headache & mild asthma symptoms. Also really grumpy, which I blamed on the atmospheric weirdness that the fires sent our way. The air was heavy, like it gets before a storm, but without the release that follows a good rainfall.
My heart goes out to those directly affected by the fires, as well as those further east who had it worse than we did with the poor air quality. The minor effects we felt here are a small reminder that climate emergencies aren’t just a local issue.
Timing
With our last frost at the end of May, the first frost possible in early October, and most of our plants from seed requiring 70-100 days to produce food ready for harvest, June planting is basically a race against time. My procrastination in setting up indoor starts back in March did not help matters. The bunnies declaring the April garden an all-you-can-eat buffet was another obstacle. May saw multiple seeds fail to germinate, from a likely mixture of causes: hungry birds, cold nights, not enough water, too many weeds, or just bad luck. We’ve done more replanting/ reseeding this year than we’ve ever done. Phillip bought a large tomato plant from the store out of impatience, so at least we should be able to eat some fresh tomatoes out of the summer garden.
Most troublesome so far have been beans (green & purple, snap & market style), peas (sugar & pod varieties), scallions, red onions, lettuce (mixed salad greens & romaine), nasturtium, poppies, & parsnips. Most successful so far are beets & radishes (varieties developed for our region and sold by an in-state company: Nature & Nurture Seeds), arugula, Hanson lettuce (bright green buttery variety), mizuna (Japanese mustard green, from seeds gifted us by a friend), kale, yellow onions, and cosmos.
Perennials that are going strong include rhubarb, chives, wild bergamot, lemon balm, bee balm, yarrow, & bronze fennel. Flowers currently blooming are wild geranium, climbing rose, & native iris. Pests we’ve been combatting are aphids on the lovage and fungal peach leaf curl on, you guessed it, the peach tree. We manually removed all the diseased leaves and burned them, then gave the base of the tree a generous helping of organic fertilizer to help strengthen it for the fight. In the Fall and early next Spring, we’ll treat with copper fungicide.
The things we planted yesterday may have the best chance yet, given the hours of gentle rain that soon followed their placement in the ground. These include eggplant, peppers (sweet & hot), corn, cucumber, leeks, summer squash, and pumpkin. If they thrive, we can congratulate ourselves on our (ahem) perfect timing. Because wizards are never late, nor are they early. Then again, we’re just suburban hobbits trying to grow food. There’s no magic powers here; only trial & error and learning as we go.
Mini Orchard & Bees
Time for a fruit update! The peaches are thriving, despite the fungal issue. The pear and cherry tree have a decent amount of fruit growing. Nothing from the apple tree this year, but it seems healthy. The paw paws are looking good under their sun shades.
The blueberry plants, on average, seem happier since the improvement in their living quarters. The strawberries that we use as ground cover for the front yard are ripening into a bumper crop (which we’ll have to harvest very quickly if we’re to beat the robins and Eastern cottontails to it). The grape vines have shocked us with their kudzu-like speed in taking over the garden fencing. The raspberry patch is literally buzzing from dawn to dusk with bumblebees, native pollinators, and honeybees.
The queen bee is certainly coming into her own, laying So Many Eggs. There has been a mighty nectar flow, with constant take-offs and landings from the hive entrance. Phillip added a 2nd box on top of the original, to give them more room. The bees have remained gentle and focused on their work, such that only a minimum of protective gear has been needed during hive checks.
That’s June so far!
How is your garden growing? What successes and setbacks have you had? I’m taking heart from the adage meme (How long does it take for a meme to become an adage?) making the rounds, that the difference between a good and a great gardener is that the great gardener has killed more plants. Has your area been affected by the recent wildfires? Have you experienced drought, heavy rain, or other extremes that aren’t typical where you live?
Here’s hoping you & your garden weather the storms,
—Erin, in Michigan
As usual, I love reading your Suburbfarm info!
Oh yes,can share the dry soil problem. Thinking I could just water the area in the evening where I planned on planting flowers! Then soil would be ready next morning!? Well, just below the surface was either dry sandy soil or hard clay like soil. I have both of these soil areas in my yard. So manage to dig holes and drench with water. Then after the fact plant flowers.
Also,not sure,my easy to grow giant torch plants have grown. Planted in different area from last year. Might have to replant? Love the small orange sunflower blossoms! Different soil,too dry, not enough sun?
At least a month late in getting things done this year!
Also,much older body works very slowly. But what would I do without my flowers!?
So much activity! You're super busy. My squash is fading away though my cucumber is thriving in a way that produces lots of flowers but no cucumbers, ha!