June Gardening

June is one of the best months in the garden, dominated by lush green growth and long evenings. The vegetable garden is starting to provide more of a harvest and roses, foxgloves and ox-eye daisies are blooming prettily.

Now is the time to keep sowing biennial flower seeds, such as foxglove, tree mallow, forgetme-not, hollyhock and aquilegia. These will grow fast in the warm weather, just make sure to keep them well watered.

Sow vegetable seeds such as radish, salad leaves, beetroot and pak choi which will grow quickly and provide a fast harvest. The first early potatoes will be ready for harvest- at this stage, you may see flowers or the foliage dying back. Try to harvest on a dry day.

If you have strawberries, currants, gooseberries or blackcurrants, now is the time to harvest their delicious berries- before the slugs or birds get to them.

June can bring monsoon like rain showers so make sure to stake and support delicate or floppy plants.

Weeds grow fast in June, so hand pull them from your vegetable beds or flower beds if you do not want them there. This is easier done after rain, when the soil is damp.

Do not forget to water pots or plants that are recently planted. Try to give them a good soak in the morning or evening and use mulch to prevent water evaporation.

In the greenhouse, plants are starting to flourish. Nip off the side shoots of cordon (also known as indeterminate) tomatoes, ensuring they put their growth into one stem and it’s fruits. Support them and cucumbers with an upright frame or string.