June is the gardener’s reward. The long, light evenings stretch out, the borders are filling with colour, and the vegetable plot is finally hitting its stride. It’s also one of the busiest months of the year — there’s plenty to keep on top of, but it’s the good kind of busy. Here’s what I’ll be doing in my own garden this month.
Keep Sowing and Planting
It’s not too late to sow plenty. Carrots, beetroot, salad leaves, French and runner beans, and courgettes can all still go in now. For a steady supply rather than a glut, sow little and often — a short row of salad every couple of weeks beats one enormous batch that bolts before you can eat it.
Tender plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and sweetcorn can be planted out now that the risk of frost has passed. Harden them off properly first by leaving them outside during the day for a week or so before planting.
Watering Wisely
As the weather warms, watering becomes the job that makes or breaks your summer. Water in the early morning or evening to reduce evaporation, and give plants a good soak at the base rather than a light sprinkle over the leaves. A deep watering two or three times a week encourages roots to grow down strong, whereas a daily splash keeps them lazy and shallow.
Pots and containers dry out fast and may need watering daily in hot spells. A mulch of compost or bark around your plants helps lock in moisture and keeps the weeds down too.
Keep on Top of Weeds and Pests
Weeds grow as fast as everything else this month, so hoe them off on a dry day while they’re small. Keep an eye out for slugs and snails after rain, and check the undersides of leaves for aphids — a strong jet of water or a squash between finger and thumb deals with most of them before they get out of hand.
Feeding and Supporting
Hungry plants like tomatoes, courgettes, and anything in containers benefit from a regular liquid feed now. Tie in climbing beans and tall perennials before they flop, and stake top-heavy plants while you still can.
Pinch out the side shoots on cordon tomatoes to keep them productive, and earth up your potatoes if any tubers are poking through.
Harvest Time Begins
Here’s the best part — June is when the harvest really starts. Pick early salad leaves, radishes, spring onions, broad beans, and the first new potatoes. Strawberries should be ripening too, so net them before the birds beat you to it.
Harvest little and often, and pick courgettes while they’re small and tender — leave them a week and you’ll have marrows the size of your arm.
In the Flower Garden
Deadhead roses and bedding plants regularly to keep the flowers coming. Cut back early-flowering perennials once they’re past their best, and give spring bulbs time to die back naturally before tidying them away — that’s how they store energy for next year.
It’s also a lovely time to simply sit and enjoy it all. Pour a cup of tea, walk the garden of an evening, and take note of what’s working and what you’d change. The best gardening, after all, is half graft and half quiet observation.
June rewards the effort you put in. Stay on top of the watering and the weeding, keep sowing and harvesting, and your garden will carry you right through to a bountiful summer.
