June Garden

May and June traded places this year. May was dry and warm for the most part, and yet we couldn’t get our warm weather crops planted because we had occasional night-time freezing temperatures right up until the end of the month.

June has been on the cool side, especially the first half of the month, and has rained for at least a part of the day 4 or 5 days a week.

Neither month has made gardening easy. That’s not really different from any other year – they all have their challenges.

We live on about a quarter acre, and so we use all of our yard for gardening, including the front where we grow dwarf apple trees, raspberries, comfrey, squash, calendula, and spring bulbs.

Of our three dwarf apple trees, this one – Liberty – has been doing the best.

Our comfrey is used to mulch the apple trees, to attract pollinators, and is infused in oil and made into healing salves.

The calendula is always so beautiful, and like the comfrey is used for balms.

These beds are just out our back door.

I started onion from seed for the first time this year. We also planted some from sets for comparison. The onions from sets were growing much faster than those from seed until very recently. I’m anxious to see which do better in the end.

I let mustard greens reseed themselves, and they are always abundant.

I love flowers, but it can’t be said that vegetables can’t be just as beautiful. This is a leaf from red cabbage with the morning sun shining through.

We have a beautiful patch of Stella Rosa Daylilies growing next to our outdoor fireplace where we boiled down maple syrup this past winter.

The wire under the sweet potatoes keeps chipmunks and squirrels from digging them out.

I ferment the edible pod peas, and my winter self always thanks me profusely for the fresh treat.

I like to dehydrate my kale for winter soups and stews.

Last year we tried corn for the first time. It produced nicely, but we really weren’t crazy about the variety we planted – Golden Bantam. This year we’re trying Ambrosia.

Roasted. Yes, that’s my favorite way to enjoy beets.

We’re growing two small plots of alfalfa this year. We don’t garden without it – here’s why. But, it’s impossible to find nonGMO alfalfa locally any more, and it’s much too expensive to purchase organic alfalfa and have it shipped to me. Growing it ourselves will hopefully solve our problem.

I never took a photo of the peonies in the garden this year, but here’s a bouquet I made of them along with Rosa Rugosa and chive blossoms.

Clematis loves full sun, but likes its “feet” in the shade. The rhubarb is perfect for providing that shade.

Mike planted two new dwarf pear trees and is beginning to espalier them.

We’ve grown our tomatoes up this arbor for several years, but we’re giving the soil a rest from them this year. We have peas climbing up this side, and cucumbers and pole beans beginning to grow up the other side.

The tomatoes were moved to a new area and have some new support.

So, what’s going on in your garden? I’d love to hear.