While June started a bit cool and slow, it ended with heat and nothing but momentum that will carry us through until the fall. We planted the last of the corn and soybeans (and didn’t have to replant for the first time in probably five years, hallelujah!), side-dressed the corn to keep it thriving, and got the last of our seed starts into the garden. Watching them go from tiny trays to established plants in the soil is always one of my favourite transformations of the season, and I am ALWAYS left in amazement at how quickly everything grows in the garden. We went from “Is this little seedling going to survive?” to “Tie up all the tomatoes, they are out of control!” in 4 weeks flat.
In the garden, I spent much of my time tackling weeds, but also laid down mulch in key areas to help with moisture retention and weed control. And we had our first real harvests of summer. If you’ve seen our earlier blog posts, you’ll know that the garlic scapes have made their appearance and found their way into many new-to-us dishes. Meanwhile, the roses exploded into bloom. We picked armfuls, dried tray after tray of petals, and even distilled several batches of rose and lavender hydrosols—fragrant, floral magic in a bottle.
And of course, our daily rhythm of milking, feeding cows, and tending to calves and heifers carried on in the background of it all. The days are long, hot, and full—but looking back at all that’s happened this past month, it’s clear: summer is in full swing, and the farm is buzzing with life.
