It's June and there's plenty of jobs to get on with in the garden!
As we move into June, there’s plenty to do to keep you busy in the garden. With the warmer weather and the days long – we’ll take any excuse to spend a bit of time in the garden so keep reading for some excuses… erm we mean jobs for June.
The longest day of the year falls on 20 June, bringing warmer temperatures and extra sunlight to help your garden grow. Flowers are blossoming, there’s lots to harvest in the vegetable garden and keeping on top of growing plants is a priority — particularly weeds!
Here’s a list of jobs to take care of in your garden this June:
Now is the perfect time to plant summer bedding such as petunias, marigolds and geraniums. These plants will add a burst of colour to your garden and thrive in the warm weather.
Check plants daily and water them if the soil is dry — especially newly planted trees and shrubs that are still getting established. Try to water in the early morning or late evening to make sure the water gets to the roots before it evaporates to reduce water waste. Use water butts as much as possible and water your containers and baskets well and regularly, especially in hot weather.
Start to pick sweet peas as soon as they flower to encourage more blooms.
Deadhead your roses if they’re repeat-flowering types. Otherwise, leave the seed heads on for decoration.
Keep bird baths topped up throughout summer and clean regularly to avoid the spread of diseases.
Clip evergreen hedges such as privet, box and yew while they’re in active growth. Use a pair of hedge trimmers to shape the hedge and remove any dead or diseased wood.
Fruit and vegetables in June
Pinch out any side shoots from your tomato plants. You can pot these up to create new tomato plants. Start to feed once the first truss is setting fruit.
Harvest salad crops, and re-sow every two weeks for a constant supply of tasty leaves.
Harvest early potatoes — these are normally ready about 10 weeks after planting.
Keep an eye on your onions and garlic. When the leaves start to yellow and die back, they’re ready to harvest.
Start to prune your plum or cherry trees now.
Seeds to sow
This month there’s plenty you can sow directly outside, such as: beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips, and Swiss chard. These vegetables thrive in cooler temperatures and can be harvested in late summer or early fall.
There’s plenty of flower seeds you can sow to, like: cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, sweet peas, nasturtiums, and poppies.
