by Patty Leander
photos by Patty and Bruce Leander
After an unusually cool and wet spring, the warm-season vegetable harvest has finally arrived. Summer squash, like clockwork, reaches harvest size about 60 days after planting seed; some varieties are ready even sooner. That is, of course, if the squash vine borer doesn’t take it down first. I’ve been plagued by squash vine borer for years but have finally found a product, called micromesh, that protects my plants from the ravages of this pest. I LOVE this product. I cover the bed as soon as I plant, and leave it covered until the female flowers start to develop. Then I uncover the plants to allow access for pollinators. This also exposes the plants to pests but the fruits develop so quickly that I am able to enjoy a harvest that has not been possible in the past. Micromesh is available online from A. M. Leonard, Harris Seeds, Amazon, and I’ve found it locally at The Natural Gardener.
Green beans and cucumbers ripen in about the same time frame as squash, but it’s the juicy, colorful, ripe tomatoes that so many gardeners anticipate this time of year. The wet weather has caused some issues with fungal diseases. Treating with fungicides may help, but by the time you see yellowing leaves, the microscopic spores have probably already infected adjacent leaves. If plants continue to yellow and decline it may be time to pull up diseased plants and plan now for a fall harvest.
Here is the vegetable gardener’s checklist for June:
- Maintain mulch around vegetable beds using straw, partially rotted leaves, dried grass clippings or other available organic materials.
- Pay special attention to vegetables growing in pots; they will need frequent watering and regular feeding to stay productive.
- Keep asparagus well-weeded. Allow the ferny foliage to grow through the summer and into fall.
- Dig potatoes when the tops turn yellow and start to die back. Cure in a warm, humid spot for 1-2 weeks, then store in a single layer in a cool, dark location. Washing may encourage disease, so wash just before eating
- Spider mites like it hot and dry; watch for infestations on beans, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. The leaves will have a stippled appearance. Organic controls for spider mites include horticultural oils and sulfur dust. Washing the underside of the leaves with a strong spray of water every few days can also help prevent mites from becoming established.
- Harvest cucumbers when they are the appropriate length; pickling cucumbers are ready at 3-4 inches; slicers are ready at 6-8 inches and oriental cucumbers may grow to 12-14 inches.
- Make notes about favorite varieties, harvest dates, pest or disease problems and any new varieties you want to try next year.
- Plants seeds for fall tomatoes this month in small pots, preferably under grow lights indoors where you can monitor their growth. Pot them up as they get larger, gradually introducing them to shady, outdoor conditions.
- Plant buckwheat or cowpeas as a cover crop in fallow beds.
- Be kind to your body. Stretch before and/or after your gardening sessions, wear sunscreen and a hat and take frequent breaks.
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