End June Palaver From The Potager

I missed out on getting this post out last weekend with everything going on. Father's day, family time and grandbabies time amongst the packing, purging, cleaning, organising, and selling. Moving is a big deal, moving a whole province away is a really big deal ; )

It seems like summer has begun for us here on the island. Sunshine is here and is supposed to stay awhile. Fingers crossed for heat and sunshine... though maybe not quite as hot as last summer with the heat dome and heat waves. 

This post is a cross between a Garden Ramblings and a Potager Palaver post... shaking things up a bit for my last few weeks ; ) 

I hope the heat has come in time for your heat loving summer crops? As I did not plant a garden this year, I am not sure how things are making out. Are your tomatoes hanging in there? Thriving? Struggling? Now that the heat is here, give them a nice foliar spray with liquid seaweed, if you have some, a drink of manure tea or kelp. and watch them perk up and start to thrive with the temps.

Remember, check for water. Every 3rd or 4th day with a good soak to have the best tasting tomatoes and no BER (Blossom End Rot). 

Sow some cucumbers now, whether long English, slicer, or pickling, they will do great. The heat will have them germinating in just a few days and they will just take off like gangbusters.  

Cucumbers, bush beans, and carrots are great crops to sow over the next few weeks. Wondering what else you can sow this time of year? Here are some ideas... What Veggies To Plant In The Middle Of Summer? (thenittygrittypotager.blogspot.com)

I won't be doing a Garden Ramblings post for July with all the what to do and what to plant/sow info but if you go into the archives, you will find a decades worth of what to do in July ; ) 

Here is one... July Garden Ramblings (thenittygrittypotager.blogspot.com)


Some of you have rust on your garlic from the wet, cool, humid weather we were having. Cut off the worst of the leaves and if it seems like it keeps on spreading, lift the bulbs early. 

Rust is not a soil borne disease, luckily, is completely due to the weather conditions, so no worries about planting in the same bed again. If you want to use that same spot again, look into improving the air flow around your garlic, if possible. Is it in a tight corner where the air does not move? Is it surrounded by other plants that are keeping it from getting good air around it? See if you can somehow make a change so that the air moves better in that area next year. 

Here is my write up about garlic harvesting, cleaning, and curing.  in case you missed it yesterday. 


This picture is not from this year as I have no garden this year, but is from this same time frame. It was taken on the 2nd or 3rd of July in 2017, so just a few days out from where we are now. 

Spring crops start to bolt when the weather changes, warms up, with less rains so you may not be able to stop it but you can slow it down by watering deeply, regularly, and by picking often. 

Remember with things like peas, beans, and even sweet peas (the flowers), the more you pick, the more they make. If you stop picking for about 3 days, they will start to yellow, figure that they are finished producing for the year, staring making seeds instead. Pick, pick, pick! 


Lavender is in full bloom now. This is the time to harvest it if you would like to use it for crafting, scenting, cooking. Here are some ideas for how to dry it and what to do with it .. How To Harvest And Dry Lavender From The Garden - Interior Frugalista

If you harvest it now, you will get a second flush of blooms in 6 to 8 weeks. 

Here are some of the articles that caught my eye over the past two weeks... 


This is a very good article for new gardeners, super information! New Gardener Advice and Suggestions - Dave's Garden (davesgarden.com)

This lovely article about what a potager is and how to create one. Learn to How to Create a Potager: A French Kitchen Garden - Brooklyn Botanic Garden (bbg.org)


We have been talking about drought and effective watering here at the ngp since 2016. Here on the west coast, we get rain and more rain in winter but not much of any moisture in summer.  

Last year was brutally dry and hot from June through September. Here are some excellent tips on how to best water, how to conserve water but keep your plants thriving, how to choose the best plants for your landscape. How to Keep Your Yard Healthy and Attractive With Less Water (houzz.com) 


Feed the soil to feed your plants : ) I could go on and on about how we have been misled, by fertiliser companies, that we need to feed our plants all the time, but will instead share a few of these tips about organic feeding. Feeding the soil, rather than the plants is better for your plants, better for our ground water, lakes, and oceans, better for your soil, and our planet. 


Along that same line, here is a great post from Erin at Floret Flower Farm about organically improving and building up the soil. Flowers or food crops, does not matter, organic growing practices is best for us and our lovely planet. If you have the Magnolia Network, check out the farm on the 4 part series, as well. So much information and inspiration. Soil Preparation - Floret Flowers


These raised bed border gardens are a great way to add a new bed very quickly, more garden space and they look great, too. Can be fit in just about anywhere. Border Gardens Are the Perfect Solution to Small Garden Design • Gardenary


I will leave you with this lovely picture. This weekend is Mid-Summer, a holiday in Scandinavia. Is this setting not just simply amazing? What a lovely way to spend time with family and friends. I was just thinking... Wouldn't this be absolutely perfect for Canada Day, too? I would so love to hang out in the garden with great food and friends in celebration. my scandinavian home: A Beautiful Midsummer's Eve Table

Wishing you all a really super weekend  ~ Tanja 


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