Every started seed from early spring is in the ground. All the tools have hit the dirt or the grass. My skin went from white to a deep tan. Budget completely blown out. What now?
All plants grown in the high wind prairie, Midwest, in macro-climate zone 5(ish). Average dewpoint in summer is around 55-60. Soil is a loamy clay. Although my preference is organic, I have used commercial fertilizers from time to time. Gardening personality relaxed and experimental, purist about very little. Growing Days approximately 135
I like to think about what might be possible, and just give it a go ~Craig LeHoullier 2022
- Hit the clearance sales. Clearance sales for plants and flowers for SE SD start during the first week in June. Second week of June the deep discounts begin. Check those apps for sales, in particular, the ACE Hardware sales via the app are quite good. Lewis Drug, not so much via the app, more in-store. The plants are 50% off by the second week of June. Lewis Drug starts their sales a few days later. I am keeping my eye out for a 50% off hydrangea.
- Calculate your growing days before making purchases of perennials, including shrubs and trees. These plants need time to securely root and acclimate before a brutal long winter. Mid June is the very latest I can plant any perennial and have it securely rooted by fall. I test this rule on occasion and usually regret doing so. Last year I bought a hydrangea at 75% off, later in June or early July. It was very healthy going into late summer. By fall though, it was fading. With the snowmelt in spring came, the new season revealed a plant with green stalk but would not grow any branches. By the end of May it was clear it would stay nothing but a dead little stump. Lesson learned. This year, I get the plant at 50% off instead of 75% off and give it a bit more prime time to settle in. And get the plant even more mulch come fall.
- Weed, weed, weed and weed some more.
- After weeding, mulch, mulch and mulch some more. Wood chips are fantastic for most perennials. Untreated grass clippings and healthy chop-n-drop garden clippings are my go to mulch materials for annuals in June. What are some good options for chop-n-drop?
-reseeding plants you don’t want. Dill, sunflower, milkweed and borage are everywhere in my yard. Pull it and put it under a plant to decompose. Blocks weeds and feeds the soil.
-old cabbage, canna, eggplant, sunflower, squash and melon leaves. When the huge leaves yellow, or get in the way of other plants, pick and place under a different plant as mulch.
-branch trimmings. Any tree branches need trimming? Strip the fresh leaves or allow the leaves to dry for easy removal and a fast mulch.
-Corn husks. Take a long time to break down in compost, so I use them as a mulch. Chop with a mower or use them as is. - June offers many sunny days for the upper Midwest. A great time to touch up painting/staining of decks, fences and porches.
- Clean my garage, including sorting and arranging garden pots. Dispose of anything torn or worn.
- Does your county offer free compost? Grabs some buckets and empty soil bags and get what you can.
- Sprays. Do you follow a spray schedule for your roses and trees? Make sure you are on track and have the materials you need to get you through the season. Follow package directions for all disease or pest control garden additions.
- Pest prevention for annuals. The white cabbage moth arrives the first week of June in these parts. Spray BT (bacillus thuringiensis) on your brassicas once you see the white moth as the caterpillars are soon to follow. The Colorado potato beetle arrives in late May, spray Neem (cold press WITH azardirachtin) or use DE (diatomaceous earth) for beetles. Follow package directions. DE will also fix any ant problem, but be judicious. Ants are fantastic pollinators. Unless they are in a location that will result in bites (near my patio) or too close to plants where they can farm aphids (nightshades, hibiscus and dahlias), I leave them. Of course, June is where we begin Squash Vine Borer management as well.~
June is Egg Hunt Month for SVB’s.
10. Protect your fruit from pests and disease. Whether using Surround kaolin clay, fake snakes, bird netting, row covers, sprays or bagging your fruit, early June is the time to have your plan and equipment in place, ready to go. I have my apples bagged to protect them from the codling moth. If I had peaches, I would have them covered as well. I use cheap organza/tulle craft bags in pale green to cover my apples. Bagging is not a reasonable option for most large scale operations, per time-cost. Yet a small backyard orchard, with just a few smaller fruit trees? Bagging is an option to consider.
11. Think about the space, meal plans and equipment for any food preservation. Beat the rush for any canning, freezing or vacuum sealing supplies.
12. Have your giveaway list ready. Who wants what, and when? In my case, a sibling gets first chance for any garden extras, but they are out of town for at least a month. We all have a few veggies we won’t eat. Instead of wondering who will take all the extra radish and squash, have your giveaway plan ready to go. Connect with your local food bank, many do take garden goodies.
13. Get your gardens tidy. Retrain those vines that are crawling towards a neighbor’s fence. Clip older lower leaves. Trim, mow and prune. Tie up those tomato plants that got lush during Doubling Week. Are your plants pale green? Might need a hit of nitrogen, compost or a balanced fertilizer.
14. Drought prep. I have been adding shallow trenches to catch rain and prevent run-off of precious rain, as we live on a slope. I have a bioswale that functions as the same. Where does water collect and run on your property? I move my pots to catch run off. The areas under my mature trees only get wet if the rain is heavy.
15. Keep those tools sharpened.
16. Inventory. Again and often. Seed sales are starting. Most seeds last for years with proper storage, especially the nightshade plants (eggplant, pepper, tomato). Get those sales! Also, do you have enough sunscreen? Bug spray? Grill-out supplies? Anything break and need to be replaced?
17. Harvest! In SE SD, in June the harvest begins. Asparagus, radish, lettuce, greens, spinach, microgreens, peas and summer squash.
SOURCES AND RESOURCES
Surround: https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/surround-wp-crop-protectant-omri-listed-kaolin-clay/pest-solver-guide-beetles
The Spray Schedule I loosely follow, a FANTASTIC site: https://growingfruit.org/t/low-impact-spray-schedule-2019-edition/22543
Where to donate garden harvest: https://ampleharvest.org/find-pantry/
Free Compost SE SD: https://www.siouxfalls.org/public-works/landfill#:~:text=Compost%20is%20available%20for%20free,notify%20the%20scale%20house%20attendant.
Calculate Days for Growing: https://gardenprofessors.com/counting-the-days-to-maturity-calculating-planting-dates-for-fall-vegetables/
Overview of Garden (methods, pests, disease) Guides for South Dakota: https://extension.sdstate.edu/
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