June has been a month of work, mud and finally some hot and sunny days at our Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative Food Pantry garden.

Bill Meltzer helped me move our new donated water tank into place June 1, so the township could install the rain gutter and downspout. We also hung our garden banner on the fence facing the Ironton Rail Trail, at the corner closest to the butterfly garden.

On our work night June 3, the township had already begun installing the rain gutter. We spent the evening weeding. Tom Noctor planted corn in our last open bed June 4.

I went to the garden to check on things and cut the grass June 8. It was a nice day, and we had some visitors, including a garter snake sunning himself on the straw by our horseradish, a snapping turtle on the outside of the garden against the fence that faces the IRT, mice running a trail from the greenhouse to the field and a vole scurrying through the grass and behind the shed.

It didn’t take long for most to relocate as I came near, but the turtle didn’t move despite the mower getting close to it. I also found flea beetles on our eggplants, so I dusted the leaves before heading for home.

At our work night June 10, we again hilled our potatoes. We were reassured the hilling is now completed, and the potatoes will just need time to grow. I forgot we were supposed to add more fertilizer to the hilling dirt, so we will have to add this separately on a future work night.

Hannah, from The Seed Farm, brought our new irrigation system to the garden June 17 to begin installation. While we were waiting for her to arrive, Sue Butchinski and I caged tomatoes. The beds were total mud!

Hannah prepared the main water transfer lines, running them to the four lower quadrants of our garden. By the time she had all the pieces together, it was after 1 p.m. We hadn’t even gotten to the drip lines but called it a day. At our work night that evening, we finished caging the tomatoes.

Unfortunately, Tom’s corn all but failed to germinate, so he could either replant the corn, or we could fill the space with new pepper plants received from The Seed Farm. Tom chose the pepper plant option, so we intended to complete this on the evening of June 24.

Hannah reached out to me June 22 to advise that, due to the high heat index, we would delay further installation of the irrigation system. She also recommended we cancel our work night June 24. She advised the plants in the garden are well established and would not need our attention.

She also said it was too hot to plant the peppers. Based on her recommendation, we canceled our work night June 24. I am writing this article June 25, and I checked the garden today. Everything weathered the heat and looked great! We may even have some zucchini ready to pick next week.

During the month of June, our pantry guests had the opportunity to receive some vegetable plants that were donated by Dennis Atiyeh and several types of cut herbs donated by Gail Kramlich, Dianne Dengler, Sue Butchinski, Fran Sajkowicz and myself. Thanks to all!

Join us for weeding, watering and harvesting 6:15-7:15 p.m. Tuesdays at the pantry garden, 3540 S. Ruch St., Whitehall. Everyone is welcome, and clearances are not required.

We have plenty of extra gloves and tools, but you are also welcome to bring your own.

I look forward to meeting you then!

Editor’s note: This column was written by Gwen Herzog, WCHI Food Pantry garden chair.