June 3, Monday — Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. Uranus is stationary. Pope John XXIII died, 1963.
June 4, Tuesday — Casanova died, 1798. The first church especially for mariners opened in New York City, 1820.
June 5, Wednesday — St. Boniface. World Environment Day. Moon on the Equator. Socrates born, 470 B.C.
June 6, Thursday — D-Day, largest amphibious invasion in history, 1944. Nathan Hale born, 1755.
June 7, Friday — Pluto at opposition. Cut hair to discourage growth today and tomorrow.
June 8, Saturday — Mercury stationary. Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patented a suction-type vacuum cleaner, 1869.
June 9, Sunday — Federal income tax withholding began, 1943. End old projects now.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: What can I plant in a north-facing window box? — W.R., New York, N.Y.
Answer: If you love window boxes but don't have the sunshine, dress up your window gardens with shade plants such as begonias, impatiens and vinca. Each of these offers a variety of bloom colors to choose from, so mix and match. Fuchsia, lobelia and browalia are other possibilities to consider. English ivy is a natural choice for trailing vines that do well in shade.
Foliage plants include multicolored coleus and caladiums, which come in mixtures of red, green, yellow, pink, purple and white. When you arrange plants in the window box, place any trailing plants toward the front or sides of the box so that they can spill out over the edges. The taller, upright plants should go toward the back. Many gardeners like an overflowing look to window boxes. If this is your choice, stagger the depths of your plantings to give you more room to place the plants. Stacking them in this manner allows for a bit of crowding. Don't make the mistake of using common soil in window boxes — it is too heavy and will compact too densely around the plant roots. Instead, use a high-quality potting soil, labeled as "container mix" or listing sphagnum moss in its ingredients. Keep the soil level an inch or so below the top of the window box to prevent a splash-back effect when rains come. Water the plants as needed and let the soil dry out to avoid over-watering. Feed every two weeks or so with a complete soluble fertilizer or mix a granular fertilizer into the soil. The bottom of the box should have drainage holes to allow runoff of excess moisture, especially if your window box is not protected from heavy rains by overhanging eaves. For more gardening advice, read The Old Farmer's Almanac Gardener's Companion quarterly. To subscribe, call (800) 895-9265, x220 or visit www.almanac.com/go/uf0206.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: How do I know if the coals in a charcoal grill are ready? — F.W., Bemidji, Minn.
Answer: Always start by lighting the coals and letting them burn in a heap for about 20 minutes. This also allows any charcoal lighter fluid to completely burn off before you start grilling your food. The coals at this point should have a thin layer of ash on the surface, with a glowing red interior; there should be no flames. If you think the coals are ready, you can test the temperature by carefully holding your palm just above cooking height. If you can only comfortably hold your palm there for a second or two, the coals are hot. If you can hold your palm there for three seconds, the coals are medium-hot. Four seconds is medium; five seconds is medium-slow; and six or more is slow cooking. When the coals are ready, spread them out more evenly. You should have a bed of coals about two inches deep, or a double layer of briquettes, unless you are only grilling a very small amount of quick-cooking foods. If you plan to grill more than one type of food, you may want to pile the coals higher under one part of the grill rack and lower on the other side, giving yourself a range of temperature.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: Beyond keeping your own hens, is there a reliable way to tell whether eggs are really fresh? — C.N., Austin, Texas
Answer: You bet. As eggs age, the air cavity within the eggshell increases because the moisture of the egg itself decreases through evaporation. Consequently, the more air inside the shell, the older the egg can be assumed to be — that is the secret to determining an egg's age. A fresh-laid egg, when immersed in a brine of approximately 1 pint water to 2 ounces salt, will sink straight to the bottom and sit horizontally. Eggs of increased age — even a day or so older— will swim higher and higher in the brine, until they are about three days old or more. At that point, the top of the eggshell will begin to show above the surface of the water. By the time an egg is a week old, much of the shell will be exposed to the air.
Send your questions to: Ask the Almanac, The Old Farmer's Almanac, Main St., Dublin, NH 03444; Web site: www.almanac.com; © Yankee Publishing