Read by Matilda Longbottom

Welcome to the June edition of Food Gardening Magazine! June is such a special month for gardeners. This is the time when so many of those early season gardening efforts are coming to fruition. Flowers are blooming everywhere and strawberry season is in full swing! Of course, around Food Gardening Network headquarters, rhubarb is also in, so it’s only natural for June to be the unofficial month for Strawberry Rhubarb pie!!

Like making pie, gardening requires some planning ahead. I know so many gardeners and would-be gardeners that actually find June to be a challenging month because of that. They often feel like they’ve missed the window of opportunity to plant their favorite fruits and vegetables.

I’m here to tell you it’s not too late at all! Yes, you may need to buy tomato seedlings at your favorite gardening store instead of starting them from seed. And sure, it may be a little warm to plant lettuces. But don’t let that diminish your joy! Plenty of garden shops have wonderful heirloom tomato seedlings that will be perfectly happy in your garden. Plus, there’s still a whole lot you can plant this month!

In the June issue of Food Gardening Magazine, we’ll look at 10 delicious fruits and vegetables you can plant right now. We’ll also check out some easier-growing options to plant, ideas for the perfect herb garden, our recipe for a favorite salad dressing, and much more.

Here’s what’s ahead in this issue:

Food Gardening with Amanda articles—Food Gardening Network’s Senior Editor and Producer Amanda MacArthur is one fabulous food gardener! She’s always cooking, planting, or experimenting in the garden. Better yet, most of her content includes companion videos to show you, not just tell you, exactly what to do. Check out these helpful articles from Amanda this month:

• 10 Fruits and Vegetables to Plant in June: If you haven’t started your garden yet, it’s not too late! You can still get these seeds or seedlings into the ground! It’s time to plant all the classic summer veggies and there are even a few later season favorites (like corn!) that should go in the ground this month. Watch the video, read the article, then get out to the garden. Can’t you just taste those delicious vegetables?
• Grow This, Not That: 12 Healthier Garden Vegetables to Grow and Enjoy: While all vegetables offer health benefits, some are easier to grow and provide a higher nutrient density than others. This article offers a lighthearted approach to compare common garden vegetables, highlighting the “Grow This” options that are both easy to cultivate and pack a nutritional punch. (And in case you’re wondering, yes, there are plenty from the “Not That” list in our gardens!)
• Planting an Herb Garden: From Seed to Seasoning: Herb-a-licious! Unleash your inner green thumb with our ultimate guide to growing a garden full of fresh herbs. The best part is that you can grow herbs almost anywhere. They’re perfectly happy in a large garden or in a container on a sunny balcony. And they’re so easy to grow!
• Herby Green Goddess Dressing: Creamy, tangy, and full of flavor, Green Goddess dressing is a modern classic, and it’s even better when you make it from the herbs in your garden!
• Confessions of a Vegetable Gardener: This article comes from our sister publication, GreenPrints Magazine about one woman’s journey through the delightful, disappointing, and downright surprising world of homegrown produce
• Summer Garden Planning Kit: Don’t miss your free, downloadable summer gardening guide, with monthly gardening checklists; dedicated space for your own gardening notes each month; gorgeous, full-color illustrations; and reminders for all the important gardening holidays like “National Take Your Houseplant for a Walk” day.
• Health Benefits of Veggies Grown Above Ground: To be clear, vegetables are good for you. Whether it’s kale or carrots or peas or potatoes, any vegetable has more health benefits than most anything you can get from the drive-thru. But when you want to get into the details, dig down into the carbs (sugar) and starches and fibers and vitamins, vegetables grown above ground may be more suitable for some diets and health regimens.

And this issue of Food Gardening Magazine includes details on three featured foods this month—concurrently with publishing this issue of our magazine, we’re also publishing and updating three gardening guides on parsley, carrots, and onions. As a premium member of Food Gardening Network, you get full access to the magazine and these gardening guides:

Parsley: Parsley is an essential herb for every kitchen—and if you think parsley is only a decorative garnish, guess again! While parsley can make any dish prettier and more colorful, it’s the clean and peppery flavor of parsley that makes it a favorite of mine. Learn more about this awesome herb in How to Grow Parsley: Every Kitchen’s Essential Herb.

Carrots: There’s something so satisfying about pulling a carrot from the ground, giving it a good rinse, and savoring that first bite right there in the garden. Carrots sometimes get a bad rap as being difficult to grow. They’re not hard to grow, but you do need the right soil preparation and a bit of patience: carrot seeds take a while to germinate, and their growing cycle is fairly long. Find out more about this pantry staple in Crunchy Carrots: The Complete Guide to Growing, Cooking, and Eating Carrots.

Onions: Onions are easy to cook, easy to store—and easy to grow! And I might add, easy to eat! They bring flavor to dishes from all over the world, and in some cases, much more. Did you know that at one time, onions were considered so valuable, some people used them to pay rent while others gave them to newlyweds as wedding gifts? Read all about the history and background of the onion and discover all you need to grow this easy-to-love veggie in The Outstanding Onion Gardening Guide.

In this edition of Food Gardening Magazine, you’ll find Gardening Guide Close-Ups that focus on parsley, carrots, and onions to help get you started with these three foods and our gardening guides. These articles give you valuable tips and advice about these three foods, and you’ll have instant access to the premium gardening guides themselves, too. Be first to read these Gardening Guide Close-Ups and get a head start on how to grow and use these foods:

• • The History of Parsley Plus Culinary and Medicinal Benefits: Find out more about growing and enjoying this superbly healthy and tasty herb. You might be surprised by how much it can improve your health – and your dinner!
    
  • How to Know When Carrots are Ready to Harvest: 5 Signs to Look For: It can feel a little tricky since the “carrot” part of the vegetable grows underground. But these 5 telltale signs will help you gain the confidence to harvest those carrots at just the right time.
  • 5 Tips for Growing a Healthy Harvest of Onions This Year: Get valuable tips about planting onions in the right place, at the right time, and in the right soil for ensuring a bountiful harvest.

And then there are the recipes you’ll find in these gardening guides! Here are just two of my favorites that are tasty, unique, and easy to make:

• Parsley Pesto Pasta: Whoever said that pesto has to be made with basil? Try this parsley version! Tasty, filling, flavorful, and elegant. Can’t beat that!
• Caramelized Onions—It’s delightful and satisfying to smell and taste caramelized onions! They can be used in French onion soup, as a pizza topping, or in a rich onion dip. You can even add them to any vegetable side to give the dish a tasty kick. Get this easy-to-make recipe now.

We’re also happy to announce there’s a new tab on our site for Gardening Kits! This is where Gold Members will find:

• Printable Garden Planning Calendar Kits
• Printable Garden Planning Kits
• Printable Recipe Card Kits

Check them out now, and download your favorites!

I hope you enjoy the June 2024 issue of Food Gardening Magazine as much as we’ve enjoyed growing it. We’re so happy to have you here! Now let’s get out there and start planting!

Happy harvesting—and happy eating!

Christy Page
Editor & Publisher

P.S. Please enjoy this issue of Food Gardening Magazine, and let me know what you think about it by commenting below with your feedback! Your input is valuable to us and can help us make improvements.