THE OPTIMISTIC FARMER-June 2025
- theoptimisticfarme
- 10 hours ago
- 4 min read
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2025 June Edition
Tall and (Small) Tales from the Great Basin of Northeast NevadaÂ
June is the month summer officially begins, and we are ready for it! June is a busy month and a good one to enjoy your garden. Some tasks that you can do during June include, but are not limited to:
Planting your warm loving plants, tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers to name a few
Mulch to conserve water and keep weeds down
Prune your herbs to encourage new growth
Go on a picnic
Take pictures of your blooms
News from the Garden
As the old saying goes, "give peas a chance", if you planted peas early, this is the month you should be able to enjoy them straight off the plant or add to salads and soups. Sugar Snap peas are always a favorite because you can pop them right into your mouth, pod and all, for a burst of energy, as you are checking on your garden, pulling a few weeds, or cutting some blooms for your vase. Peas are a cool weather crop, so plant again in late summer for a fall harvest. Peas are also good for adding nitrogen to your soil and are often used as cover crops.
Innovations and IdeasÂ
Repurposing household items for gardening is out of the box thinking, did you know you could add mirrors to your garden to help reflect light to shady areas, or turn a pallet into a vertical planting space? Another fun idea is to convert a colander into a cool hanging planter for your porch, or one filled with herbs for your kitchen counter!
Inner Work
Today we consider perspective for our inner work. How do two people look at the same thing and see it differently? Well, the answer may be perspective, depending on your perspective!
One definition of perspective is...a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view...so a person's attitude toward a topic or situation will have an effect on their conclusions regarding the topic or situation. A person's perspective is influenced by many factors (see a few below), so as conversations happen, especially on touchy subjects keep in mind how your and others perspective may influence the way you and they see things.
Culture
Life Experiences
Current mood
Family
Education
Assumptions and expectations
Faith
Dear Optimistic Farmer:
To submit questions to The Optimistic Farmer, click here: theoptimisticfarmer@outlook.com
Inquisitive Reader:Â As a beginning gardener, what are the perennial vegetable plants I should consider?
The Optimistic Farmer: The Optimistic Farmer always recommends planting an asparagus patch to young gardeners. Patience is the name of the game, but it will be worth the wait. Asparagus is usually planted using crowns, but they also produce seeds. For the first couple of years, it is recommended to not harvest and let the plants get established, but once they take off, they will produce of up to 30 years! For more info see the link below.
Plants in Science:
Today we are talking fertilizer, fertilizer you can make at home, that is! What!! Are you saying you do not need to buy expensive fertilizer for your plants? Why yes that is what is being said! As discussed in the last edition coffee grounds can be used for fertilizer, but did you know banana peels, eggshells and even aquarium water can be used. Sounds fishy right?
Another garden hack is to add sugar or molasses to help feed the good bugs!
Who knew the periodic table would matter in gardening? Well, when it comes to fertilizer it does!! If you use fertilizer from the store the numbers to know are the N, P and K numbers! On most fertilizer you buy you will likely see 3 numbers separated by dashes; and if you did not know before, now you know that those numbers correspond to the percentage of each element in the fertilizers. So, if you see 20-5-5, the fertilizer is 20% Nitrogen (N), 5% Phosphorus (P) and 5% Potassium (K). The numbers are always listed in NPK order!
Nitrogen (N) – Assists in the rapid growth of green leaves.
Phosphorus (P) – Helps with root growth, as well as flower and fruit development.
Potassium (K) –Aids the overall functions of the plant to perform correctly and supports the plant’s vitality.
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Last, but Not Least: Quit bugging me!
It is June and the bugs are going to be out, however there are plants from the garden that you can use to help mitigate those pesky critters while you are camping or sitting on your porch enjoying a family gathering or summer sunset. Did you know that if you add sage and rosemary to your campfire, it will help keep mosquitoes away? A pro tip is to wrap the herbs in tin foil, poke a few holes and throw on the fire, the smoking herbs will help ward off pests!
For your porch or patio, Citronella is the most well-known bug repellant, a plant you can put on your patio table, but there are several other plants that can assist. Basil, lavender, marigolds, lemon thyme, and mint are also known for helping to repel flies or if you want to get them good, buy yourself a Venus Flytrap! Another fun fact is that petunias are sometimes called natures pesticide, they can repel aphids, tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, and squash bugs. The great news around these parts is the Mormon crickets do not seem as prevalent this year, a few patches here and there, so whether they are taking a break or moving on to greener pastures, they are one pest that will not be missed. Happy gardening and seriously go smell the flowers!
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