I plant the seed, You make it grow, You send the rain, I work the hoe. - Author Unknown
- Plant summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) for a fragrant walkway shrub. It blooms in midsummer with a spicy, lemony scent and is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and hardy to Zone 3. About 36 inches tall and wide.
- Rabbits in the garden? Discourage them by planting lavender around the perimeter.
- Get More Cukes - Have you grown cucumbers with lots of flowers but no fruit? Check the flowers: both male and female types must be blooming at the same time for pollination to occur. Males often appear first. Female flowers have a small, cucumber-shaped bump at the base that will become the fruit. Shade your plants during high heat to help prevent pollen damage. You can also try pollinating the flowers yourself - dip a cotton swab into male pollen and transfer it to the center of a female flower.
- Strawberries need one inch of water per week throughout the growing season. Mulch to conserve moisture.
- Spray cucumber leaves and vines with sugar water to attract bees to help with pollination.
- June 20th - Father's Day
- June 24 - Full Strawberry Moon
- Make your own tea from herbs! To make tea, use about 1 ounce of fresh herbs for every 2 to 3 cups of water. Steep the herbs in hot water for several minutes, strain, and enjoy!
- Long-range weather forecast for summer: summer temps will be hotter than normal, with slightly above-normal rainfall.
Credit: The Old Farmer's Almanac