Moving plants

You don’t need a van, just a wheelbarrow

Once, a long time ago, I was sitting on a porch overlooking a landscape with an acquaintance. I commented that if she removed or thinned a line of tall pine trees, she would have a lovely long view.

“Great idea! I’ll have them moved,” she said. Even though she was a woman of means, I explained that it wouldn’t be possible to move 60-foot white pines. She should either live with them or cut some down.

On the other hand, I move shrubs and perennial flowers regularly. When it’s done right, a plant barely knows it’s been moved. I have a number of reasons for moving a plant.

First, if the plant is not growing well. Perhaps the tag on it said, “sun or part shade.” Well, what is part shade? I define full sun as five or six hours of afternoon sun. Morning sun is less hot, and a sun-lover might want some afternoon sun in addition to the morning sun.

shovel with long, think head, sitting on grass
This drain spade is good for transplanting perennials and shrubs

Why else move a plant? We all change our minds. Or plants grow and start to crowd out their neighbors. We get new plants and decide to plant one where something else is already growing. Moving plants is a normal part of gardening.

I have a lovely shrub called Carolina sweetshrub or Calycanthus floridus. My reference book by Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, suggests planting it in sun or shade in deep moist loam. I planted it in full sun in deep, moist loam and the leaves burned that first summer. I assumed it had been grown in a shady place at the nursery, so figured it would be fine in Year 2. It was not. Its leaves burned again. So that fall I moved it to a shady spot.

For the next three years or more my sweetshrub did not burn up in summer, but neither did it flower much. I wanted those deep burgundy wine-colored blossoms, each more than an inch across. So I finally moved it again, this time under a pear tree that allowed filtered sunshine. Perfect! It has bloomed magnificently ever since.

My technique for moving a shrub is simple. I decide where it should go, and get the area ready by removing grass or plants and loosening the top layers of soil. Then I go to the plant in question with a drain spade that has a blade 16 inches long and only 5 inches wide. I slide it under the shrub on all four sides by thrusting the blade into the soil at a 45-degree angle. On each side I give the spade a gentle downward push to lift and loosen the shrub a little. By the fourth thrust it should be ready to lift out by sliding my two hands under the root ball.

I move the shrub into a waiting wheelbarrow and bring it to its new home. I measure the depth of the root ball and dig out a hole deep enough so that it will sit at the same depth it was at originally. I dig a wide hole so that the area around the shrub will be nicely loosened and ready for roots to grow in it once I backfill the hole. I water well that day and regularly all summer.

When I water a plant I have moved, I add something to the water: a capful (half a teaspoon) of something called “Superthrive” in a watering can of water. It was developed some 70 years ago and uses seaweed extracts and plant hormones to lessen transplant shock. I find it really helps. A small blurt of Neptune’s Harvest Fish and Seaweed fertilizer in the water adds some quick nutrition. I use both liquids on all my vegetables as I plant them, too.

Any plant that you planted this year can be moved now without damaging it. It takes several weeks before roots move far from their root ball. I don’t bother with a spade when moving new things. I use my CobraHead weeder, which is shaped like a long curved finger. It gets under the root ball easily, and by wiggling it around I can loosen the plant and gently lift it out, pulling from below with my CobraHead.

When I am moving an established perennial, I am more careful. Over the years, from experience and readings, I have learned much about the root systems of common perennials. You probably have, too. Some have roots near the surface while others are more like tubers that go deep.

Peony roots go deep and are not easy to move without breaking their fleshy tubers. Peony experts say to move them in the fall, when they are going dormant. But I once moved a hedge of peonies in June with about 50 plants, and not one showed ill effects.

It is best to move established perennials in the early evening, or on a cool or drizzly day. Some plants go into shock if disturbed in the heat of the day, so avoid doing so if you can. Others, like daylilies, don’t care at all about being moved on a hot dry day.

I recently was planting my front walkway garden and noticed a rudbeckia called ‘Prairie Sun’ that was too close to another plant, so I moved it at 11 a.m. on a hot day. After lunch the leaves were limp and it was in distress. My solution? I gave it another drink of Superthrive and placed an umbrella over it to provide shade. By the next morning it looked like it had never been moved!

So go ahead, move plants. Other than big trees, there are very few you can’t move.

Featured photo: Calycanthus or sweetshrub is a shade-loving shrub that I moved twice to find it a happy home. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Make way for Market Days

Three-day street festival returns to downtown Concord

By Maya Puma

listings@hippopress.com

Back for a 49th year in downtown Concord, Market Days, the three-day street festival featuring vendors, musicians, a beer garden and a variety of other special events, is bigger than ever. It will run from Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, along Main Street and connecting side streets.

This year there will be some new festivities, including a free photo booth, an inclusive art project and recycling. The art project is happening on Thursday and Friday on Capitol Street and all attendees are welcome to participate.

“Everyone can join the project and make a little picture, and just make an effort to do some positive messaging and be inclusive of everybody,” said Jessica Martin, executive director of Intown Concord, which organizes the festival.

Recycling is also new to the event this year, and there will be a sustainability effort represented through three recycling stations and vendors to do composting.

Nearly 200 street vendors are participating, including the Concord Arts Market, which will be on Pleasant Street. Several vendors will be serving food, like Temple Street Diner, Twelve 31 Cafe, Eatxactly Sweet Cafe and fan favorites Yankee Farmer’s Market Buffalo and Let the Dough Roll.

Over the course of the weekend more than 75 live local performances will take place on three separate stages. According to Martin, this is the second year that performers will be paid, thanks to a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

The Club Soda Band, for example, is a Concord-based cover band playing a mix of pop, rock, classic rock and some country music from the 1960s to now. A mainstay of Market Days over the last 30 years, the group will perform on the Main Stage on Thursday at 7:45 p.m.

“I just like being part of this event. There’s a history to it,” Club Soda Band keyboardist Carl Smith said. “I’m a lifelong resident of this town … so it’s one of those days that I look forward to every year.”

Other events to take place throughout the duration of the festival include balloon animal demonstrations by Lollipop the Clown, a drum circle courtesy of the Concord Community Music School, a dog show from Pawskies, salsa and champeta dancing from Barranquilla Flavor and even a roller derby demonstration.

Worthy Mind and Movement, an alternate fitness studio based in Concord, will host a Buti yoga class and zumba class. Buti yoga incorporates dynamic movements, biometrics and yoga poses. The studio aims to make fitness fun and accessible for all people, according to owner Cassie O’Brien.

“We’re excited to showcase what we do and it should be a fun time,” she said. “Market Days is always a good time.”

Market Days Festival
When: Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Main Street and neighboring streets, downtown Concord
Visit: marketdaysfestival.com

Statehouse lawn
Thursday, June 22

– Concord Public Library storytime: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
– Concord Community Music School storytime and Music and Movement: 2 to 3 p.m.
– Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 3 to 6:30 p.m

Friday, June 23
– Storytime with Miss New Hampshire Brook Mills: 10 to 11 a.m.
– Concord Public Library storytime: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
– The Friends Program makes friendship bracelets and buttons: noon to 5 p.m.
– Worthy Mind and Movement Zumba class: noon to 12:30 p.m.
– Worthy Mind and Movement Buti yoga class: 12:30 to 1 p.m.
– Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 12:30 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 24
– Boy Scouts of America: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
– Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
– Concord Community Music School Folk Jam Session: 11 a.m. to noon
– Concord Community Music School drum session: noon to 1 p.m.
– The 501st and Rebel Legions – The Star Wars Fan Costuming Group: 2 to 6 p.m.
– Granite State Roller Derby games for kids: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

City Plaza
Thursday, June 22

– Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
– Lollipop the Clown and balloon twisting: 3 to 6 p.m.
– Darbster Rescue adoption showcase: 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Friday, June 23
– Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
– Pawskies dog show: 2 to 4 p.m.
– Cumbia dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 4:30 to 5 p.m.
– Salsa dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 5 to 5:30 p.m.
– Cardio sculpt classes with Thrive Fitness: 6 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 24
– Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Champeta dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 10:30 to 11 a.m.
– Salsa dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 11 to 11:30 a.m.
– Cardio sculpt classes with Thrive Fitness: 1 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.
– Granite State Roller Derby demonstrations: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Learning from other gardens

Gather ideas from great green spaces

One of the best ways to learn how to create a lovely garden is to see others. Visit good gardens of neighbors, great gardens near and far. I recently visited three great gardens and, as always when viewing other gardens, they gave me much to consider. The gardens I visited were Bedrock Gardens in Lee, N.H., Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

All these gardens had significant areas of lawn or meadow. I realize that lawns are not in favor, generally, among the pro-pollinator and bird crowd. But if you provide plenty of plants that support pollinators, I do not see lawns as bad. Each of these gardens has plenty of flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Something is always in bloom, including both native plants and exotic ones.

So what does lawn accomplish? It provides contrast — a simple green palette — to show off the plants. Expanses of green are soothing to the eye. I can only focus on so many amazing plants before I get visually fatigued, much as I do when I visit an art museum.

Lawn also allows you to stand back to see the landscape from a distance. For trees, that is important. In a forested area, and all three of these gardens have them, individual trees are sometimes hard to see. They blend in with the others. But I need to stand back to look at a majestic beech or oak that towers 100 feet above me.

Bedrock Gardens only recently was deeded over from the original owners, Jill Nooney and Bob Munger, to the nonprofit that manages the property. Jill is an amazing sculptor who for over 30 years has created art to surprise and delight visitors to this 20-acre garden. Much of her art is painted welded steel that will delight visitors for the century ahead. She is the modern Alexander Calder of gardens.

Although I am not an artist, I do purchase and create art and whimsy for my own gardens, and you can, too. Look around at what you can use: a brass headboard from an abandoned bed; the rim of an old wagon wheel, a collection of stacked stones or a single tall standing stone buried in the ground. Stone always enhances a garden. Walls are expensive but almost worth their weight in gold.

Pathways are important to a great garden, too. They lead the visitor from one area to another. Placing art or even a bench at a distance pulls viewers forward, luring them to see what is ahead. Chanticleer has wonderful pathways through the woods that appear to be wood chips embedded in rubber. Very soothing to knees and feet.

My late sister, Ruth Anne Mitchell, taught me long ago when viewing art or gardens, “If you see a place to sit down, sit down.” So I do, and I find it enhances the experience of the garden. Not only am I less tired; often gardens surprise us with something special near a resting point. Perhaps you can design a special feature near a bench: rare and dainty plants or a small water feature.

All three of the gardens I visited made much use of water in the landscape. I am lucky enough to have a small stream that runs by my gardens. I built a bench near it, so I can listen to the burble of the water. And you can tune your brook: Place stones that hold back water, allowing it to cascade over them. Different drops create different sounds.

Years ago, for a New York Times article, I interviewed by phone the designer of the gardens at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Robert Irwin. He created a recirculating stream that crossed a path through a woodland area seven times. He told me he tuned it so that at each little bridge visitors would hear a different aquatic tune. Think of that if you have a stream on your property.

Color is very important in designing good or great gardens. I only got the eight-color box of crayons as a boy; my sister Ruth Anne got the 64-crayon box. But I have learned to appreciate all the nuances of color and how they go together. The best explanation of how colors go together — or don’t — is a book by garden writer Sydney Eddison: The Gardener’s Palette: Creating Color in the Garden (Contemporary Books, 2003, $30 in hardback). Get it if you can find a copy.

Great gardens like those at Longwood, an old DuPont family residence originally, recognize that color is important all year. But most shrubs and perennials only bloom for a few weeks. So they choose trees and shrubs that are not only sculptural in form but also have nuanced colors in their leaves. Green is not one color but many. Choose wisely.

Lastly, another way to present color all spring, summer and fall is to use annual flowers liberally. Many of these will keep on blooming in an effort to create seeds. Pots of annual flowers are used frequently in these great gardens. Pots place flowers closer to the viewer’s eye and can also be replaced with other pots if the flowers finish their displays or look a bit bedraggled.

So do visit other gardens this summer, whether at a local garden club tour or one of the fine gardens I mentioned here today.

Henry is a garden consultant and the author of four gardening books. He speaks often to garden clubs and library groups. Reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.

Featured photo: Formal use of lawns and water at Longwood. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Kiddie Pool 23/06/15

Family fun for the weekend

Play ball

• Saturday, June 17, is Cats-Con Night as the theme for the Fisher Cats game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester) is Granite State Comicon. The night will celebrate comic pop culture with heroes and villains out on the concourse, and visitors will get a free comic book before the game. After the game there will be a firework show. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. Tickets cost $10 to $17 and can be purchased at milb.com/new-hampshire.

Outside fun

• The YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St.; graniteymca.org) will hold a Rock the Block party Saturday, June 17, from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Mechanic Street. This free family event will feature games, a bounce house, live DJ and music, arts and crafts, food and more, according to a social media post about the event.

• Celebrate all things that make children amazing at the 41st annual Somersworth International Children’s Festival on Saturday, June 17, with a special pre-festival celebration at Somersworth High School (11 Memorial Dr.) on Friday, June 16, at 6 p.m. The pre-festival celebration will have live music, food and fireworks to enjoy. The festival day will be packed with food, craft and retail vendors, educational exhibits and talented street performers. There will also be free activities provided for children by local businesses. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit nhfestivals.org/festival-day.html.

• Head to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire for the Annual Fly In Barbecue on Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be at the hangar of Nashua Jet Aviation (83 Perimeter Road at the Nashua Airport). There will be all kinds of food to choose from, and access to watching the planes land and get ready to take off. Tickets for the barbecue cost $30 for adults, $25 for museum members, $10 for ages 6 to 12. Tickets for just access to the ramp cost $10. Kids under 5 years old are free in both cases. For more information visit nhahs.org.

• On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18, Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) is giving free entrance to dads coming to the farm with kids 12 or younger. The farm will have all its usual exhibits open, including the hands-on petting area, tractor train rides, horse-drawn rides, visits with the farm animals, and the North American wildlife exhibits. Tickets for not-dad adults are $22 and can be purchased at visitthefarm.com.

• See Studio Two, a Beatles tribute band, at Greeley Park on Tuesday, June 20, at 7 p.m. The band will play the greatest hits at the outdoor band shell. The rain date for this event is Wednesday, June 21. For more information about this event visit nashuanh.gov/546/SummerFun.

Inside activities

• Have a Parents Night Out thanks to Snapology (826 Central Ave., Suite 1, Dover) on Friday, June 16. Kids ages 5 to 9 can participate in Mini-Figure Mania from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and kids ages 7 to 14 will create Prehistoric Robots from 6 to 8:30 p.m. In addition to doing fun STEAM activities, kids can enjoy a pizza dinner with drinks and desserts included. Spots cost $29; to reserve a spot, visit snapology.com/location/dover.

• The creepy and kooky Addams Family Musical is opening on Friday, June 16, at The Strand (20 Third St., Dover) by Break a Leg Legally. The show follows the eldest child of the Addams family, Wednesday, as she grows up and finds love with a normal boy, much to her parents’ concern. Showtime is at 8 p.m., with two more shows, on Saturday, June 17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets to the show cost $20. More information is available at thestranddover.com

Science summer fun

SEE holds third annual Kick Off to Summer

It’s all about summer fun at SEE Science Center, and reminding kids and families that summer can be a time for learning.

“It’s a celebration of science going into the summer months,” said Pete Gustafson, the deputy director at SEE. “We’re encouraging families to get into science learning.”

The Kick Off to Summer event at SEE is a chance for kids of all ages to learn more about science, outside of the classroom.

The event will have all the museum’s normal interactive exhibits on display and will also have a special guest in the New England Mobile Insectarium. The insectarium will have all sorts of crawling critters to spark curiosity.

“Insectarium is open all day, as well as a special room where people can come in and meet the specialists and interact with their activities and their microscopes and their bugs, both live and preserved displays,” Gustafson said.

The whole purpose of Kick Off to Summer, he said, is to remind kids and parents that curiosity is what drives learning.

“During the summertime kids want a break from school, but summertime is a great time to learn about what you want to learn about,” Gustafson said.

While the dates haven’t been determined, Gustafson said there will be visitors from University of New Hampshire and Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute with interactive activities. SEE also plans on doing some programs on solar eclipse safety, as well as giving out glasses, ahead of the partial eclipse in October.

In addition to the displays, SEE is offering a $15 discount to the museum’s summer camps throughout the week of Kick Off to Summer. The camps have different themes, from a bioengineering program to building simple machines.

Gustafson said the wants to see students follow their passions and curiosities, and realize that’s all science is.

“Kids go to school and they have to learn the lessons they’re taught, but summertime is when you learn what you want to know,” said Gustafson. “That’s what SEE science center aims to do year-round and that’s our message for Kick Off to Summer: Learning happens year-round and in summertime you get to pick the topic.”

Kick Off to Summer
Where: SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St., Manchester; 669-0400
When: Friday, June 16, through Thursday, June 22, during normal museum hours, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: Kick Off is included with museum admission, $12 for visitors ages 3 and older, free for those younger.
Visit: see-sciencecenter.org

Kiddie Pool 23/06/08

Family fun for the weekend

Fun in the sun

• Help the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) feed feathered friends on Friday, June 9, at 10 a.m. Kids will create ornaments using black oil sunflower seeds and then have the chance to walk around the farm, feeding the seeds to the birds. This program is geared toward kids between 18 months and 8 years old. Tickets cost $25 per child and can be purchased at theeducationalfarm.org.

• Holman Stadium (848 W. Hollis St., Nashua) is doing a Fun in the Sun Color Run on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. The one-mile or 5K course is open to children, adults, families and teams. The event is hosted by the Nashua Silver Knights and benefits the Lil’ Iguana’s Children’s Safety Foundation. Registration starts at $20. More information can be found at funinthesun.redpodium.com/fun-in-the-sun-color-run-2023.

• Join in the Zorvino Vineyard Kids Fishing Derby on Sunday, June 11, at 8 a.m. at the vineyard (226 Main St., Sandown). Kids ages 2 to 15 can win prizes for longest fish, most fish caught, and first to catch five fish. There is a list of rules for kids to follow available to look at when purchasing tickets. Tickets cost $5 per child and can be completed at zorvino.com.

• The Seacoast Science Center (570 Ocean Blvd., Rye) is hosting a World Ocean Day Celebration in honor of its 31st birthday on Sunday, June 11, at 10 a.m. There will be local scientists, divers, artists and conservationists at the event to help people learn about the oceans of the world. There will be educational activities and demonstrations, hands-on games, naturalist-led tide pooling sessions, and a beach cleanup. Tickets cost $20 for nonmember adults, $15 for nonmember children, $5 for Seacoast Science Center members, free for children younger than 2 years old. Visit seacoastsciencecenter.org for more information.

• Join the Amherst Public Library on Wednesday, June 14, for a concert and picnic to kick off its summer programs. Ben Rudnick & Friends, a band that plays different kinds of music from country to bluegrass and rock to second-line New Orleans, will perform. The picnic and concert will be on The Village Green (0 Main St.) at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit amherstlibrary.org.

Movie night

• Smitty’s Cinema (630 West Main St., Tilton) will have a sensory-friendly showing of The Little Mermaid (2023) on Sunday, June 11, at 11:30 a.m. The showing will have the lights of the theater turned on and the volume of the movie turned down to make it a calmer experience for smaller kids. The movie follows mermaid princess Ariel as she chases after true love in the human world. Tickets cost $11 and can be purchased at smittyscinema.com.

• See Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at Chunky’s Cinema in Manchester (707 Huse Road, Manchester) as part of the theater’s sensory showing on Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. The movie theater will have the lights turned up and the movie’s sound turned down. The movie follows Miles Morales, one of the multiverse’s Spider-Men, on a new reality-twisting adventure to save the world. Tickets cost $6.49 and can be purchased at chunkys.com.

Indoor activities

• On Saturday, June 10, at 11 a.m., Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) is hosting New Hampshire author and hiker Sarah Lamagna, who will be sharing her new guidebook, Hiking with Kids New England: 50 Great Hikes for Families. Lamagna welcomes kids to the book event, and she’ll give parents some tips and tricks for taking kids on hikes and outdoor adventures. For more information about this event, visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mount Vernon St., Milford) is hosting a Summer Afternoon Tea on Sunday, June 11, at 1 p.m. The gathering will feature a summertime selection of snacks, sweets, and, of course, teas. Tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased at thecozyteacart.com.

Granite State Pride

Celebrate Pride Month with local festivals, parades and more

By Maya Puma

listings@hippopress.com

June is Pride Month and Manchester, Concord, Nashua and Windham are among the several New Hampshire cities and towns planning events to show support for the LGBTQ community.

In its first year, the nonprofit Manchester True Collaborative is partnering with YWCA New Hampshire and Queerlective to plan a week-long celebration of Pride events, beginning on Saturday, June 10, and leading up to the festival on Saturday, June 17, at Veterans Memorial Park — the latter will also include a “Queer Art Extravaganza” with a photo booth, interactive art displays and live performances.

Founded in the summer of 2022, Queerlective is a New Hampshire-based organization that works to promote local LGBTQ communities through art, according to founder Randall Nielsen.

“We really believe that art is such a great tool to connect and engage people, so we always make sure there’s some aspect of art to any gathering we put together,” Nielsen said.

Manchester Pride Week

Kicking things off for Pride Week in the Queen City, on Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m., will be “Layers of Identity: A Visual Exploration,” presented by Mosaic Art Collective at the Currier Museum of Art. According to James Dzindolet of Manchester True Collective, the show will feature several artists celebrating diversity and inclusion in a wide range of art and media forms.

Stark Brewing Co. will then host “Queen City’s a Drag” on Monday, June 12, at 8 p.m.; that will be followed by a free “Youth Pride Hop,” on Tuesday, June 13. Those 21 and under are invited to Boards & Brews at 3 p.m., where they will then migrate to a few other nearby participating businesses, some of which will offer food while others will showcase live performances. Maps of the scheduled Youth Pride Hop route will be given out to participants at Boards & Brews.

The festivities return to Stark Brewing Co. on Wednesday, June 14, with a Pride-themed Karaoke Night at 7:30 p.m. The main event on Thursday, June 15, is a “Femmes and Thems” Night, happening at Breezeway Pub on the North End of Elm Street. That event is 21+ and will feature comedy from Mona Forgione, Jai Demeule and Holly Smith, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Manchester City Hall will hold a flag raising at noon on Friday, June 16, and Breezeway Pub will host a drag roulette at 10 p.m. that evening. Pride festivities will then culminate with the main event that Saturday, from 1 to 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, where you’ll find food trucks, local vendors and artist displays. An afterparty will follow at 8 p.m. at Jewel Nightclub.

“We’re hoping for, between the week of events and the day of, at least a couple thousand folks from the Manchester area and southern New Hampshire area,” Dzindolet said. “I love it when everyone comes together because there’s just so many talented people.”

More local Pride events

Beyond Manchester, events celebrating Pride Month are scheduled to take place in several other communities big and small.

Windham’s third annual Pride festival, for instance, is happening on Sunday, June 11, from noon to 3 p.m. at the town’s high school. The event will have more than 40 vendors, live bands, poets, face-painting, lawn games, children’s activities and more.

“It’s important for small communities to have Pride, just as much if not more important than large cities,” said Katrine Strickland, communications director of Windham Citizens for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “This is really important for folks to know their neighbors, [and that] the people they see at the grocery store and the soccer field support them.”

Windham DEI, according to chairperson Jackey Bennett, is 100 percent volunteer-run, regularly accepting donations to support local diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“[It’s] really important to highlight the family aspect, as Windham is full of families,” said Bennett, who added that the town high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club designs buttons to be given out during the festival.

Nashua’s annual Pride festival, returning to the Gate City on Saturday, June 24, includes a parade that starts at Elm Street Middle School at 2 p.m. The route, which makes its way up Main Street and ends at the Nashua Public Library, is free to walk in, although advance signups online are recommended.

From 2 to 6 p.m. the festival will take place in the library parking lot and feature more than 40 local vendors, a stage with live entertainment, food trucks and lawn games. New this year is a photo booth, while there will also be an indoor drag show at 3 p.m. inside the Court Street Theater and another at 8 p.m. at Martha’s Exchange Restaurant & Brewery, according to Kathleen Palmer, communications and special projects coordinator for the office of the mayor.

Pride in July

In Concord, Capital City Pride will host four events over two separate weekends in July.

According to chief officer Journee LaFond, the decision to hold Concord’s Pride celebration in July was a calculated one, as that way it didn’t interfere with any events scheduled in June.

“I hope that people support Pride and come out with each other and really revel in the support and the love that our community has to offer,” LaFond said.

Capital City Pride will kick off with a community art event on Saturday, July 15, at Kimball Jenkins, where there will be a vendor marketplace, live music and food, as well as a collaborative art piece from Queerlective.

The following day, Kimball Jenkins will continue the festivities with a Pride family picnic at noon, featuring live music, a petting zoo, face-painting and even a roller derby demonstration.

On Friday, July 21, head to Teatotaller on Main Street for a “Spill the Tea” event.

“It starts out as an open-mic type of situation for folks to share their coming out stories, or just stories of resilience or stories of joy, especially this Pride Month.” LaFond said. “Then we follow it up with karaoke. People share their stories with us and we sing back to them.”

Wrapping things up is an after party on Saturday, July 22, at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage, featuring a drag show, dancing and a vendor marketplace.

Upcoming Pride festivals and celebrations

Sunday, June 11, noon to 3 p.m.: Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road; see windhamdei.org)

Saturday, June 17, 1 to 7 p.m.: Veterans Memorial Park (723 Elm St., Manchester; a full week’s worth of other Pride festivities is planned from Saturday, June 10, leading up to the day of the festival; see manchestertrue.org)

Saturday, June 24, 2 to 6 p.m.: Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.; see nashuanh.gov/1217/nashua-pride-festival)

Saturday, June 24, noon to 5 p.m.: Market Square (downtown Portsmouth; see seacoastoutright.org)

Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16; and Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22: Multiple locations around Concord (see capitalcitypridenh.com for the full schedule)

Queen of the garden

All hail the tomato!

For me tomatoes are the best-tasting and most important vegetable I grow. I eat them raw in salads and sandwiches or cooked in soups and stews. I dehydrate some, I freeze many whole, and I make some sauce for quick dinners in winter. But they are not grown without difficulties — and sometimes heartbreak.

Heartbreak is rare. More than 10 years ago something called “late blight” came early and infected tomatoes all over New England. Plants blackened and died, and the fruits rotted quickly, becoming inedible.

Varieties of tomatoes have been bred to resist late blight since that fatal summer. The only one I have grown is called ‘Defiant,’ developed by Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is a nice F-1 hybrid with 4- to 6-ounce fruits that appear early. It is a determinate tomato, which means that it produces a crop, then dies. Indeterminate varieties keep on producing until frost or blight kills them.

Of lesser portent is ‘early blight.’ Except for first-time gardeners, we all get it. It causes lower leaves to darken and dry up, but fruit is produced until all the leaves are gone. You can minimize this problem by mulching under your tomatoes with grass clippings or chopped fall leaves. You should do that now. Unlike late blight, early blight survives our winters in the soil, and splash from hard rains or watering gets it onto the leaves.

Other fungal diseases are common but can be minimized by spacing your plants well so they are not crowded. I use 24-inch spacing between plants and that seems adequate. It allows good sunshine on the leaves and breezes to keep the plants healthier.

To minimize diseases, don’t get the leaves of your tomatoes wet if you can avoid it. Avoid overhead watering devices, even though they are convenient. I use a watering wand to water my veggies as it allows me to direct the water just where my plants need it. It saves water, too, as I am not watering the walkways — and encouraging weeds there. The brand I like best is Dramm. Theirs allow good flow but are gentle on the plants.

By now most of you have planted your tomatoes. If you haven’t, and if you think this will be a hot, dry summer, plant them deep in the soil. You can bury the root ball 6 inches down or more, and the stem will grow roots in the cooler, moister soil down deep.

Tomato plants need support. Forty years ago or so, when I was less experienced than I am now, I tried just putting straw on the ground and letting my tomatoes flop over and lay on the ground. I had heard it would work just fine, but it didn’t. It was harder to weed, and the tomatoes were more prone to rot.

Now I use tomato cages. They are an investment but last for 20 years or more, especially if you store them in the barn for winter. Get the biggest ones you can find. Generally that means a wire cage that has four legs (not three) and is 54 inches tall. These cages need to be pushed into the ground at least 6 inches so they will not tip over. If you have rocky soil you may have to try several positions before you can install it deep enough.

Alternatively, you can buy 5- or 6-foot hardwood stakes. These are one-inch-square stakes that come with a pointed end that you can drive into the soil with a hammer — small rocks or not. But you have to tie your tomatoes to the stakes as they grow up. You can use old rags to tie them on, or sisal twine. Don’t use plastic twine as the vines may get damaged when they are loaded with heavy tomatoes. You may need to tie your tomatoes onto cages, too.

Throughout the summer you should prune out excess “suckers” that grow between the main stalk and a branch. These are just little shoots that develop into branches that clutter up the interior of your plant. They can shade out leaves and encourage diseases. If your plants get too tall in late summer, cut off the tops. This will keep the plants in their cages and putting their energy into producing fruits, not growing taller.

I grow at least a dozen Sun Gold cherry tomato plants each year. Each plant produces more tomatoes than I can count (even if I take off my socks to use both my fingers and toes). They are supremely tasty fresh, and are great dried and saved for soups and stews. I cut each tomato in half and use a food dehydrator to get it ready for storage. Later, I add them to soups, stews — and even scrambled eggs.

Big tomatoes can be frozen whole and stored in zipper bags, or chopped and stored in quart jars in the freezer. They aren’t suitable for sandwiches, but they are organic and tasty in cooked dishes.

If you freeze tomatoes whole, all you need to do is make sure they are clean. When you take them out of the freezer, you can remove the skins easily if you want by running them under hot tap water and rubbing gently.

No matter what I do with tomatoes, they always add flavor to any dish. I can’t wait for this season’s crop to be ready.

Henry is a UNH Master Gardener and the author of four gardening books. Reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net. He lives in Cornish Flat, NH.

Featured photo: Primula vialii is not commonly sold, but is wonderful. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Kiddie Pool 23/06/01

Family fun for the weekend

Maker Fest

• More than 30 local makers will bring their tie-dyed fashions, worm bins, Star Wars costumes, trebuchets and more to the New Hampshire Makers Festival presented by the New Hampshire Children’s Museum (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival will take place inside and outside the museum; admission is a suggested donation of $5 (you can donate onsite or via the website in advance). The line up of makers, displays and activities at this family-friendly event include a Rube Goldberg machine expert, a children’s business fair, a kid-friendly exhibit to explore by the Woodman Museum, a STEM van by the Girl Scouts of the White Mountains, kid conservationist Jack Dalton, a former American Idol contestant and more, according to a press release.

Fun in the sun

• Give field research a shot with the Harris Center for Conservation Education (83 Kings Highway, Hancock) and its program Kids Count for Wildlife: Red-backed salamander survey on Friday, June 2, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Kids ages 9 to 18 will get a chance to do some searching in the woods for the woodland species. Kids younger than 12 must be accompanied by a guardian. Registration is required and can be completed at harriscenter.org.

• Head to West Running Brook Middle School (1 W. Running Brook Lane, Derry) for touch a truck on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Derry police department will have emergency response vehicles, heavy machinery and other equipment for kids to climb and explore. There will also be a BMX stunt show, free helmet giveaway, food, music and dancing. Visit derrynh.org/police-department for more information.

• Cuddle up to some farm animals at farm baby snuggles at Under-N-Acre Farm (24 Canaan Road, Strafford) on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4. Each day has two time slots, June 3 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. and June 4 from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Sessions start at $7 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/farmbabysnuggles.

Indoor activities

• Visit Pumpkin Blossom Farm (393 Pumpkin Hill Road, Warner) for a special after-school sensory class on Wednesday, June 7, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Kids between the ages of 5 and 11 will make lavender-scented bubbles after learning a little bit about lavender and the five senses and after they explore the farm. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. The class costs $15 and spaces can be reserved at pumpkinblossomfarm.com.

• Let’s Make Music & Make Art (136 Lowell Road, Hudson) is having an open house on Wednesday, June 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Kids and families can learn more about music and get started with how to play an instrument. Registration is required and can be done at letsplaymusic.com.

Museum madness

• The American Independence Museum (1 Governors Lane, Exeter) is offering active military and their families free admission until Sept. 4. Admission to the museum includes access to more than 3,000 artifacts and guided or self-guided tours throughout the building. For more information, visit independencemuseum.org.

• The Little Learners series is starting at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) on Friday, June 2, from 12:30 to 1 p.m. The month of June will be devoted to teaching kids ages 4 and younger about comets. The program runs the first and third Friday of the month, as well as the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. June will have an additional day on Friday, June 3. Participation is included with general admission. General admission costs $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children younger than 3 years old. Visit starhop.com.

Writers network

NH Writers’ Project conference connects authors

Publishing the great American novel, or a memoir, or a biography, or any other written text, is a monumental challenge. The New Hampshire Writers’ Project is looking to help aspiring authors with that endeavor.

NHWP is now in its third decade of hosting the 603 Writers’ Conference, which has helped get local authors information and connections through a number of events and classes. The event takes place at Southern New Hampshire University, a partner of NHWP.

The highlight of the day is a pitch party, a competition where authors have to give a one-sentence pitch of their story, and judges determine whether it’s an accurate representation in comparison to the longer description of the book.

“The first winner in 2019 won and her pitch for her book, The East Indian, went on because she said she was able to revise her query letter and went on to not only secure a top literary agency but now has a two-book deal with Scribner, and the book is being published in the States as well as in the United Kingdom,” said Masheri Chappelle, the project’s chairwoman. “This is just a glorious example of what the conference will be doing to help people.”

This year, Chappelle said, the conference will have 10 classes for attendees to choose from. The classes will range from creative writing to building high-quality author websites. The classes are kept small, to maintain the ability for one-on-one interaction with the teachers.

Before the classes start, Mark Dagostino will give the keynote speech. Dagostino is known for assisting in many celebrity biographies, including his New York Times bestseller The Magnolia Story with Chip and Joanna Gaines. Chappelle said he will be discussing memoirs and biography writing.

In addition to Dagostino’s keynote talk, there will be a panel discussion at the luncheon about what to do when an author’s book is chosen to be adapted for television or movies.

“It will be exciting to hear what it takes to have your book go from the library to the screen,” Chappelle said. “On the panel we’ll have authors and entertainment attorneys discussing the process of pitching, [and] finding a literary agent and entertainment attorney.”

Chapelle said hosting an event like this is only part of what makes the New Hampshire Writers’ Project important. She wants to give these authors a shot at publication, but she also wants the literary world to take note of everything happening in the New Hampshire arts scene.

“We have a lot of talent that is not recognized that needs it,” Chappelle said. “I would like [New Hampshire] to become a writers’ colony. Our topography is stunning. We have the mountains, the lakes, beautiful trails, and great cities with a lot of cultural development.”

603 Writers’ Conference
Where: SHNU Banquet Dining Facility, 2500 N. River Road, Manchester
When: Saturday, June 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: $125 for SNHU teachers and students, $165 for members, $185 for nonmembers
Visit: nhwritersproject.org

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