June in the Garden

By the month of June, all northern hemisphere gardens are in full throttle. Garden chores are almost equalized across zones. Warmer climates are still ahead of the game, shifting into a transition period northern gardeners don’t experience. But crops are still growing, insects are still feasting and, despite the heat and humidity, this is not the time to rest. So start (or refuel) your gardening engines and choose a few tasks from June's To Do Gardening List.

Everyone

• Work around the humidity (early am, late afternoon / evening)


• Keep new plants well watered


• Check your mulch


• Side dress with compost or manure or feed with fish emulsion, for mid-season pick-up


• Check foliage for signs of nutrient deficiency


• Give the compost a turn


• Give your houseplants a summer vacation outdoors


• Make sure the birds have fresh water

Ornamentals

• Keep up on deadheading, for long season bloom


• Pinch back tall growing fall bloomers like asters, monarda and helianthus

Vegetables

• Stop harvesting asparagus and rhubarb


• Replace cool season flowers, like pansies, and crops, like spinach, that have bolted with the heat


• Get any remaining warm season vegetables in the ground


• Keep up blanching of celery, cauliflower and tender greens


• Plant a new batch of bush beans every couple of weeks


• Keep tomato plants staked as they grow. Pinch out suckers.


• Put a couple of drops of mineral oil on corn silks within a week after they appear, to prevent corn earworm

Fruit

• Be prepared for June Drop of fruit from fruit trees. They&'re just thinning out to a manageable crop size. Clean up any fallen fruit.


• Protect ripening berries with nets or row covers

Trees & Shrubs

• If you want to prune or shear your evergreens, do so as soon as the new growth starts to turn a darker green. Once the wisteria finishes blooming, you can do a maintenance pruning to keep it in check

Pests

• Summer is for insects. Be vigilant!


• Keep watch for 4-lined plant bug damage, especially on the mint family


• Japanese Beetles - They're back!

Warmer Areas

• Start new seeds of sun loving crops, for the fall


• Begin to cut back on mowing

Gulf Coast and Florida

• Prepare for hurricane season and keep dead limbs pruned