June 05, 2018
June is strawberry month. Get your bird netting in place before you begin wondering where all the ripe ones have gone. It's also the month I pick first zucchini. I got six 6" ones yesterday. I must have broken my old record because this year had a warm spring..
My son got a ripe tomato already so I feel like I'm in second place. I have two more cauliflower that are at 3" and broccolini ready to pick. The artichokes that finish producing are getting cut back down to the ground to encourage new growth, and getting deep soaked and fish emulsioned. My corn is as high as an elephants knee..
June 06, 2018
I still have some hollyhock stalks from last year standing in the garden. I don't know why I haven't removed them and have no intention to. They are tall gray dead sticks that the birds use to land on to decide whether it's safe to land in the garden. They have a presence that is more appealing to me than the empty sky. I imagine that when this year's hollyhocks get tall I'll remove them, but until then they are a value added to the garden. The bones of last year's garden..
They remind me that my presence in the garden adds value to it. I am detected by a multitude of insects, and even the plants themselves. Plants can tell when you're near, and throwing shadow on them really gets their attention. My presence changes the garden as I pass through it, and I have changed when I leave it..
June 07, 2018
June begins the cherry harvest. If you have a trash panda in the neighborhood you might need a tree collar to keep them from climbing it. They can demolish a tree in a night. If you have a bird problem, bird netting can help. If your trees are as big as ours you would need two extension ladders, four adults and a hot air balloon to get it covered. That is one of the reasons dwarf varieties have become so popular..
The cracks in the ground around the drip line indicate that a good soaking would be appreciated. All our fruit trees get watered now. I am so enamered of our pear tree that I've been known to leave an oscillating sprinkler on under it overnight. Having removed all the fallen leaves from around them last fall, to use as garden mulch, means that the only nutrients they will get is from the fertilizer that we apply. A time released, full spectrum organic fertilizer will probably be an acceptable replacement..
