The June Garden: Five Crops It's Not Too Late to Plant
June in the garden has a quiet urgency to it. With the monsoon rains around the corner, it's tempting to think you've missed your chance, but you haven't. The trick is simply choosing the right crops, and these five will still reward a June sowing.
June's First Project: Making Green-Plum Syrup
For about a month each June, firm green plums fill the markets. Layer them with sugar now, and a hundred days later you'll have a jar of homemade maesil-cheong (green-plum syrup) to sip through the heat of summer.
Summer Watering: It's About Timing, Not Frequency
As June's long, heavy sun bakes the soil dry, it's tempting to reach for the watering can again and again. But when you water matters more than how often — the same cupful of water leaves a very different amount behind depending on the hour you pour it.
When Potatoes Bloom, the Harvest Is Near
In June, the potato patch is the first thing to catch your eye, with white or pale-purple flowers rising on knee-high stems. The blooms aren't just pretty: they're the earliest sign that the tubers underground are starting to swell and harvest time is approaching.
Early-Summer Yeolmu: Half the Crop Is in the Thinning
A week after you sow yeolmu (young summer radish), the seedlings come up shoulder to shoulder—and that crowd is exactly the problem. Thinning them in two rounds is what gives the survivors room to grow broad leaves and straight roots.