June in West Virginia
layout: base.njk title: "June - WV Homesteading Calendar" description: "Homesteading tasks for June in West Virginia" category: seasonal-calendar month: 6
Theme: Abundance
Weather: Warm to hot, avg highs 82-85°F, lows 60-63°F
Daylight: 14h 45m → 15h 05m (LONGEST DAY: June 21, Summer Solstice)
Frost Risk: None (occasional freak frost in extreme elevations only)
🌿 Phenology Signs
- Early June: Strawberries (peak bloom/fruit), cherries ripening
- Mid-June: Raspberries, blackberries begin, elderberries, serviceberry fruit
- Late June: Basswood blooms, black locust fades, clover (white and red)
- Perennials: Bee balm begins, phlox, catmint, salvia
- Wildflowers: Black-eyed Susan, coneflower, wild bergamot
- Hummingbirds nesting (2+ broods possible)
- Indigo buntings singing
- Cedar waxwings feeding on berries
- Raptors busy with fledglings
- Deer fawns growing rapidly
- Groundhogs at peak activity
- Bats active at dusk
- Peak bee activity all month
- Fireflies peak (early June)
- Monarchs laying eggs on milkweed
- Swallowtails common, fritillaries abundant
✅ Task Checklist
Garden
- [ ] Harvest strawberries daily at peak (preserves, freezes, fresh eating)
- [ ] Harvest cherries before birds get them all (use netting if possible)
- [ ] Continue succession planting beans and corn (every 2 weeks)
- [ ] Plant fall brassica seedlings for autumn harvest (broccoli, cabbage, kale)
- [ ] Plant sweet potato slips (heat-loving crop, soil must be 65°F+)
- [ ] Hill potatoes second time
- [ ] Direct sow: Bush beans, corn, cucumbers, summer squash
- [ ] Direct sow: Fall carrots and beets (succession every 3 weeks)
- [ ] Plant cover crops: Buckwheat in empty beds (quick green manure)
- [ ] Mulch heavily to retain moisture during hotter days
- [ ] Install drip irrigation if not already in place
- [ ] Stake and trellis tall crops
Orchard
- [ ] Harvest cherries (sweet and tart varieties)
- [ ] Thin summer fruit if needed
- [ ] Water deeply during dry periods
- [ ] Monitor for Japanese beetles (appear late June)
- [ ] Apply organic pest controls as needed
Animals
- [ ] Rotate pastures frequently (rapid growth)
- [ ] Provide shade and extra water during heat
- [ ] Monitor for heat stress in livestock
- [ ] Collect eggs frequently (peak production)
Preservation
- [ ] Begin canning and preserving early harvests
- [ ] Freeze strawberries at peak ripeness
- [ ] Preserve cherries (jam, pie filling, dried)
- [ ] Harvest and freeze peas
- [ ] Pickling cucumbers
- [ ] Dry herbs at peak flavor
🌱 What to Plant
Direct Seed: - Succession plantings: Bush beans (every 2 weeks), corn, cucumbers - Fall crops: Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts (for fall harvest, sow mid-late June) - Cover crops: Buckwheat in empty beds - Root crops: Beets, carrots (succession every 3 weeks)
Transplant: - Fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) for autumn harvest - Leeks (for winter/early spring harvest) - Sweet potato slips (soil must be 65°F+, early June ideal) - Late tomato plantings (for fall harvest before frost)
Start Indoors: - None needed (focus on outdoor successions)
🐛 Watch For
- Japanese beetles - appear late June, hand-pick or use traps
- Firefly peak - early June, signals full summer
- Strawberry harvest - peaks early-mid June, ends late June
- Asparagus season end - around June 20
- Bolting greens - harvest lettuce, spinach before heat ruins them
- Summer solstice - June 21, longest day
- Cherries - harvest before birds and worms get them
📅 Key Timing
- June 21 - Summer Solstice: Longest day, sun at zenith, full summer begins
- Strawberries ripe: Start of berry season
- Clover blooms: Excellent bee forage, hay quality peak
- Basswood blooms: Pollinator festival, fragrant air
- Cicadas begin singing: Heat of summer approaching (if present in your area)
- Fireflies peak: Full summer, warm soil established
- Chanterelles begin: Appears around summer solstice
- Growing season: ~180 days total, we're at day ~75