THE OPTIMISTIC FARMER-June 2026
- theoptimisticfarme
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
2026 June Edition
Tall and (Small) Tales from the Great Basin of Northeast Nevada
“The true purpose in life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
-Nelson Henderson
News from the Garden
Snap peas are fun to grow and if you planted them early enough, June may be the month you get to snack on fresh snap peas!! The perfect fun and healthy snack to fill you with a quick jolt of energy while you are pulling weeds or other garden duties!
Innovations and Ideas
Like peas in a pod, some things just go together! Companion planting is not a new idea; however, it is a good one! Sometimes the right combination will achieve two goals with a single effort! For instance, plant climbing beans with corn and the corn stalks provide a pole for the beans to climb. Marigolds with your peppers is a powerful combo for repelling pests! On the flip side some plants don’t grow well together so do your research and experiment!!
Inner Work
June rhymes with moon, so our inner work this month is to appreciate cycles! At times we may feel unsure whether our life is waning or waxing, but no matter the phase things will usually come around and there is always opportunity for trying again!
“The new moon is an auspicious time for a fresh start." —Cerridwen Greenleaf
Plants in Science: Snapdragons
Antirrhinum is a genus of plants in the Plantaginaceae family, commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons! Interesting tidbit, the reason dragon is in their name is because the blooms resemble the face of a dragon! May be one of those things once you see it, you can’t not see it, so going to have to look for the dragon face!! Snapdragons are easily grown in the Great Basin and will usually drop seeds. Some of the first bloomers of spring and early summer, they prefer cool weather but also love sun at the same time, but who doesn’t!! Deadheading spent blooms will keep blooms coming longer, hot weather will usually send them bolting, but that is where the seeds come in! The seeds are tiny, but there is a lot of them! Snapdragons make great border and container plants and come in a plethora of colors, so add the splendor of a snapdragon to two to your garden.
Last, but Not Least: Tools Baby!
The old adage, work smarter both harder, is a good mantra to keep in mind as a gardener. There is much to be said about sticking with the old school ways, but a good tool is a way to make light work of an otherwise daunting task!! Which brings us to the pitchfork!! Maybe it has a bad reputation, but its value in the life of a gardener cannot be ignored. Pitchforks are indispensable when it comes to loosening up the soil to prepare for planting, they are also helpful in making light work of weeding. It can also help scoop up leaves, hay or straw for mulching. The pitchfork also goes by the name prong or sprong, in other parts of the world, however it is the ultimate garden fork whatever you want to call it. In fact, it resembles a fork or maybe forks resemble pitchforks either way if you want to get serious about gardening then buy yourself a good pitchfork!
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