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June Gardening: A Month of Plenty
Harvesting
June is a great month to harvest your homegrown fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, gooseberries, potatoes, lettuces, and more are all ready to be picked.
- Strawberries: Protect your strawberries from birds with netting and pick them when they’re ripe.
- Potatoes: Dig up early potato varieties for a soft, sweet harvest.
- Gooseberries: Cover your gooseberry plants with netting to keep birds away.
- Lettuce: Pick your lettuce on a dry day and wash it thoroughly before eating.
- Other crops: You can also harvest carrots, parsnips, beetroot, beans, and sweetcorn in June.
Planting and Sowing
There’s still time to plant or sow a second batch of crops in June.
- French beans: Sow dwarf or climbing French beans directly into the soil.
- Lettuce: Start a new batch of lettuce by sowing seeds in a cool place or buying plug plants.
- Other crops: You can also sow salads, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, beans, and sweetcorn now.
Caring for Crops
- Tomatoes: Pinch out sideshoots to encourage fruit production.
- Apples and pears: Thin out fruits to get larger, fully-formed ones.
- Plants in containers: Water your plants regularly, especially in hot weather.
- Pest and disease control: Keep an eye out for pests and diseases and treat them accordingly.
Tips
- Recycle pots and trays when starting new crops.
- Check for local plant pot recycling schemes.
- Add a half-strength liquid plant food to your watering can when watering container plants.
- Sow cut-and-come-again lettuce leaves for a steady supply of greens.
- Check your seed packets for leftover seeds that you can sow now.
