June Musings 2026
June greetings fellow gardeners and nature enthusiasts,
Spigella “Little Redhead” my new favorite native plant addition here.
Before I jump into June happenings (be warned there is a lot), allow me to back up a moment, because the end of May is still seared in my consciousness. The 30th dawned stormy and raw with winds I thought would topple trees at any moment. I stopped on the way back from the chicken coop in a valiant attempt to weave unruly hop vines down the fence. That was fruitless; it was so cold I thought my fingers would drop off! I fretted inside for the rest of the day and woke up on the 31st to 35 degrees. This is plain crazy for this time of year. What’s next? Blistering heat or the no-end-to-humidity and sogginess? The weather forecasters say our region is now in severe drought. Look who’s complaining when others across the country are facing catastrophic, life-threatening weather conditions. Climate, folks…
One more aside before I delve into June. The following comparison may pan out to be interesting for our readers. If you didn’t know this already, Nashua Farmers’, Kate, (also my niece), is now writing a weekly column titled “The Dirt” for the online publication Nashua Independent. She’ll be discussing what’s happening in her yard while I’ll do the same here on Nuthatch Knoll. However, I’ll keep to writing only once a month. Kate is an awesome writer, and I promise her column will be fun and very informative.
Judy & Gene’s Character Tree—consumed by fire in 2001 and it survived!
What I find potentially most interesting to compare is that Kate’s site backs up to a hemlock woods (moist and “earthy”) while our site exists in a fire climax community (nutrient poor, acidic, and dry, dry, dry). We sport a pitch pine/white pine/oak woods in comparison. The pitch pine pictured below was consumed by fire in 2001. It not only survived but actually grew new branches! We call it our character tree. It takes about 130 degrees to germinate pitch pinecones, and we have many of these trees. Given these xeric conditions, it’s no wonder that it’s a challenge to grow anything around here! To boot, we have a low yielding well, while Kate has… I don’t wanna go there. Anyway, stay tuned for the ride!
Ok, I’m now getting to June, kind of. The first days of the month found me starting plants by seed again due to that miserable end-of-May weather. Many newly set veggies were pummeled into the ground by rain while squirrels dug up, and consequently, buried doomed young flowers that were just taking hold. Good thing there was ample time to start again. Nutty gardeners know no other way…
Now we’re into the third week of the month, and I’m finally finished with staking and caging tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Mulching is a work in progress; weeds proliferate (sigh). Squash plants are looking mighty fine so far, but I’m scrutinizing the small patch for squash bugs that I will gleefully drown in my soapy water container. July will find me trying to keep squash vine borers from devastating the crop. I’m going to try to protect the first 12” of the vines with some old cloth in hopes of foiling the buggers. We’ll see… The few peas we have left after that devastating freeze in late April are setting pods. Looks like fresh use only this year- such a bummer. Potatoes are growing happily, but adult Colorado potato beetles have made an appearance as well as 4-lined potato beetles. It surely takes due diligence to control these nasty guys physically (our preferred way). Main crop cucumbers and pole beans probably will be planted after peas are harvested. pak choy, radicchio, and basil have been transplanted to their permanent spots, and it looks like I’ll have plenty to share. However, I am so disappointed that I didn’t get any rhubarb at all. What happened to those 2-3’ stalks of years past? Just a few spindly stems and diseased leaves remain. Extreme conditions of cold and wet, or conditions just the opposite cause crown rot and other diseases. According to my research, I must keep plants free of weeds and clean up all affected foliage during the growing season as well as in the fall.
Hostas lining the porch. See what happened?!
Here’s one of my bright spots, though. Remember that pile of snow mentioned in a winter blog- the one where the “snowberg” nearly reached the porch roof on the north side of the house? Well, due to compaction, shade, and who knows what else, I can’t even grow moss. So a year ago spring, I took a chance and dug it all up and added compost, lime, and fertilizer. I then divided an overgrown hosta and planted the divisions the length of the porch. It took forever for the plants to emerge this spring, and I thought for sure they didn’t make it. Then, look what happened! Appreciate the small successes.
I’m not doing too much with flowers this year, but I’m excited to edge my canna garden with mini zinnias, hoping they will stand up to the elements better than the large ones. Two varieties of climbing nasturtiums will adorn my arbor this year. While on Barb Young’s garden tour last summer, I was unexpectedly surprised by seeing her “climbing” nasturtium’s bright color weaving laterally at ground level through the perennials. When many of my flowers have gone by, and a lot of green appears, my attempt at this will hopefully be a welcome sight. (Please check out Barb’s website thebiglittlegarden.com to glean a wealth of information, and get totally inspired!
Before I finish up, I’d like to remind you of the following:
· If you’re growing garlic, make sure to cut the flower stalks (“pigtails”) right away to encourage large bulbs. Don’t forget to use them in cooking.
· The last feeding of all-natural nitrogen (Neptune’s Harvest hydrolyzed fish is excellent) for onions, garlic, and shallots is the solstice, June 21st. Did you make it in time? It’s time to grow the bulb, not the leaves.
· Water lawns deeply (measured 1”) once or twice/week in the morning to encourage deeper rooting. Allowing grass blades to dry off during the day will help prevent disease issues. Better yet in my opinion, plant clover. Pollinators love it, and it stays green (see photo before and after mowing. It outcompetes crabgrass and other undesirables. Keep it edged, though, as it’s aggressive once established. Please note that we do not water lawns at all except for occasional seeding of patches.
· Fertilize trees and shrubs (including blueberries, rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwood, etc.) by the end of June. That way they have time to switch into winter mode.
· Remain observant. You are the best means of mediating issues before they become big problems.
Now for a few animal antics of note. June 3rd found Gene and me witnessing a 5-squirrel standoff. Four had cornered a fifth on the very end of a large dead branch. The four would dash back and forth, scream at the top of their lungs, then tear up into the canopy, shaking branches Jurassic Park style, and then run back to make sure that fifth guy was still cornered. This lasted more than 5 minutes before the cornered one got away. Weird.
We saw a starling chase a chipmunk on foot (not flight), until the chipmunk found the stone wall some 60’ away. What just happened?
A flock of 12-15 swallows chased a hawk that was trying to land in “their territory”. They hightailed that hawk all the way across the field to the wood’s edge some 300’ away. Never seen that behavior from swallows.
The one story that got the biggest chuckle from me came from one of my medical professionals. She befriended a crow and found out he loved hard-boiled eggs. So everyday without fail, she boils up his egg. She can’t stop for fear he’ll hold a grudge, and who knows what will happen then. Each day Marvin Gaye comes a little closer. She wants him to eat from her hand, and ultimately, and hopefully, Marvin will bring her something shiny. Best of luck, girl!
Happy 4th everybody. Please be respectful of others and stay safe.
That’s it for now. Gotta go make some strawberry jam. Berries are in here on the Knoll.
Judy the plucky farmer
Did I hear you say thank goodness she’s done? Wait… one more thing.
Please note on your calendar that Nashua Farmers’ will be closed for vacation July 1st through July 14th. Open again July 15th. Remember we are closed on Tuesday, June 30, as we are every Tuesday.