Garden with Brook Settle
June To-Do’s  White flies were attacking  my roses, but without  time or energy to address  this problem, it seems that  something, maybe in the  wasp family, predated these  critters. I’m not watering  much, with a nice thick  layer of mulch covering  most areas of my garden,  and soaker hoses laid out.

Weeds are ever present, and  need to be pulled before  going to seed, but this actually  doesn’t take very long,  the fuller my garden beds  get. Weeds like poorer soil  and more sun than I provide  them.  The fruit trees all are  apparently happy, having  had the winter sprays for  pests and diseases, all  except for my peach trees,  which are suffering badly, in  spite of multiple sprays.

The  raspberries are being trained  against a warm south-facing  wall. I’ve been tucking  seedlings into my raised  vegetable beds after I transition  them slowly from  indoor to outdoor life. My  tomato cloche is built and  shelters not only tomatoes,  but pumpkins, cucumbers,  and melon, all which prefer  a warmer climate than I can  otherwise offer. My biggest  chore this month is edging  out the ever present grass  that likes to grab my plants  water and nutrients.  What should you do?  Mulch. Plant. Weed.

Watch  for pests, especially slugs,  snails, cabbage worms and  moths. Go easy on the  chemicals. Start or turn your  compost pile. Start strawberries  and vegetables. The  soil should be warm enough  now for just about all vegetables.  Plant gradually: a  little this week, a little next  week of crops like lettuce  and carrots, so that you have  some through the weeks,  and not all at once.

Cover  crops like carrots with fine  mesh to prevent cabbage  moths from laying eggs.  Plant summer bulbs. Prune  spring flowering bushes  such as lilacs and rhododendrons.  Relax. Enjoy.