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June, she’ll change her tune.

Ok we’re committed to the whole song now.

It’s been a dry spring and our hearts go out to everyone affected by the wildfires across the country. Stay safe and if you’re able, consider leaving out a shallow source of water for thirsty wildlife.

Stick around to the very end for special VIP newsletter content

Hardening Off

Last week, you voted on Instagram for a resource all about hardening off your seedlings.

You couldn’t have timed it better. We’re all transplanting out (if you haven’t done it already!) and hardening off your seedlings ahead of time will really improve your results.

Still planting?

By June, everything can go out!

Direct-sow: Beans, Cucumbers, Melons, Pumpkins, and Squash.

Transplant out: Eggplant and Peppers.

Remember: Watch your local weather and adjust your plans as needed. This is a great place to hone your gardener’s intuition. And keep track of everything with our Garden Planning Guide.

Water! Water! Water!

It’s hot and dry.

Vegetables are thirsty plants and pots can dry out fast on days like these. Make sure you are watering thoroughly. Watch your plants for signs that they are thirsty. If they need a drink, don’t delay!

Updates from Cottage Corners:

The Garden Growing Guide is coming June 19th!

BUT we’re running a special presale offer for newsletter subscribers only. Beginning on June 16th, newsletter subscribers will be able to purchase the Garden Growing Guide for 50% off until June 19th!

You’re going to be hearing from us a little more this month as we ramp up to the release. We’re excited because we know this guide is going to help so many gardeners get great results.

And if you don’t have it yet, the Garden Planning Guide goes hand in hand with the Growing Guide and can be found here.

Important dates in June:

June 11th: Corn on the Cobb Day

June 16th: The Garden Growing Guide is released to newsletter subscribers for 50% off

June 18th: Father’s Day

June 19th: The Garden Growing Guide is released to the public

June 21st: First Day of Summer

AND NOW…

VIP Newsletter Content!

In Step 5 last month, we transplanted our echinacea seedlings into the garden! If you missed last month’s newsletter, you can click here to catch up.

Now for Step 6: Alcohol

As you may recall from January’s newsletter, the recipe calls for 80-proof alcohol (brandy, vodka, or gin) for the base of the tincture. We’ll be gifting these echinacea tinctures to our friends and family this Christmas so we’re making a lot. Obviously, that could get pretty expensive depending on the alcohol you choose.

We headed to our local liquor store to price out our options.

The Process:

As always, our goal is to make your life easier so we’ve done the research for you. We estimated needing about 2.6 litres of the tincture so we’ll need roughly the same amount of alcohol. We found the biggest bottle available of the three recommended alcohols and as you can see, gin won by a hair.

So we grabbed two bottles and headed for the checkout, low-key a little worried we’d be questioned for buying so much booze at one time. Thankfully, it was smooth sailing. Phew!

We also made sure to buy a little more than we need to account for some evaporation and what will be absorbed by the plants as they soak.

That’s it! We hope you’re enjoying this special newsletter-only content. And if you want to make your own echinacea tincture, you can still join in!

It’s a little late to start from seed so call around to your local garden centres and nurseries to see if you can find seedlings!

Stay tuned for Step 7 in July’s newsletter.

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