All In

Everything should be in the ground, planted by the first week of June. Save cauliflower and broccoli seedlings in pots in partial shade for replanting every two weeks. In NH it’s safe to put in the melons and other cold-sensitive plants. However, keep an eye on the temperature and a row cover handy. Check for rain and water daily.

Insects and Pests Appear

• Inspect every day for insects
• Aphids on apples (primarily on Honeycrisp). You can try oil soap, but I would go right in with pyrethrin.
• Slugs on Brassicas (learn copper collars) Set beer traps away from the garden.
• Rabbits and porcupines. Use repellent.

The downside to spraying for insects is that beneficial insects such as ladybugs, which diet on aphids. It’s better to spray an oil spray directly onto the visible aphids first to see if that will kill them off. Spraying pyrethrin will certainly kill off the beneficial insects as well.

Seen in the garden row above: Tomato on a trellis, cauliflower, and broccoli under insect shield and grey shade cloth, Brussels under insect shield.

Harvest

By late June cauliflower, cukes, and broccoli should be ready.

A row of brassicas.

Cauliflower Harvest

Late June cauliflower is ready, or close to ready, for harvesting. Replace the cauliflower plants with seedlings. Leaving seedlings in cells or 6″ pots, in partial shade will slow growth and will flourish once planted in the ground. Broccoli can be pulled and replanted, or left for a second cutting. Plant every two weeks for a continual fresh harvest, or for an abundant harvest, plant, pull, and replant for preserving by pickling, fermenting, or freezing.

Pest Control. Protect from cabbage moths with an insect shield, and use a shade cloth as the weather gets hot. Use copper collars and check for slugs every morning. Place beer traps outside of the garden. Remove any leaves touching the ground to prevent slug damage.

Fertilize. After watering, fertilize brassicas with a fish emulsion solution or blood meal. These (smelly) fertilizers will repel rabbits.

Broccoli: Bel Star, Cauliflower: Robber

 

Wintered-over carrots, MA.

Carrot Harvest

Mid-June in MA the wintered-over carrots are ready for harvest. These were planted in the fall and left to winter over under a row tunnel. Carrots should be relatively easy to grow, however, I’ve had trouble between anxious youngsters, voles, and getting the soil right. I’m still working to find the best variety for my microclimate.

Pest Control. Rodents such as mice a voles are a problem. This year, I finally got a cat hoping it will be a good mouser. Use snap traps at the first sign of rodents. Place three traps around the hole and then place a small box over the whole thing. Works great!

Fertilize. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer for root crops. Lime or use cal-mag, or bone meal.

Melons with a protective hardware cloth cage.

Melons

By June’s end, the melon seedlings planted at the beginning of the month should be about knee high. However, direct seeding at this time will work. Minnesota midgets are the variety I use in MA and NH. I tried watermelon and a kajari, neither did well. Watermelons were not ready til well into September and the taste for them had wained by then. I’ll still try for another variety.

Pest Control. I used hardware wire cages to keep hungry varmints off the melons. I’m not sure who was the culprit, but once to melons climbed the trellis it wasn’t a problem.

Fertilize. Use composted manure or fertilize heavily. We had a neighbor with sheep who helped us out.

Minnasota Midget: Bakers Creek Seeds

Hogs heart paste tomato.

Tomato

In search of the best paste tomato that will not give me blossom end rot (BER), I asked Reddit and ended up with the hogs heart. I planted a variety of tomatoes and this and Dr. Wyches are my favorites. Bonny best a close third. This year I used a trellis system with suspended lines off a tripod support. Worked very well. I think I will plant an early tomato as the slicers and paste take a while to ripen.

Pest Control. Amazingly slugs and squirrels were the problem this year. I will need to use copper collars on the tomatoes. Horn worms will eventually make their appearance. I use a water feature to attract birds as well as a black (UV) light at night to locate and destroy the horn worms

Fertilize. Use lime and super phosphate at planting, then fish emultion every month, and use cal-mag at first sign of blossom end rot. Some think BER is from inconsistant watering, but with an irragation system in place I doubt that is the case here.

Hogs Heart Paste: Fedco seeds