Everything you need to do for a successful growing season
When Andy Williams sang, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” we’re pretty sure he was talking about gardening season, not Christmas. If you planted early spring crops like lettuces, snap peas, and radishes, you’ve likely been harvesting and indulging for a few weeks! But there’s still plenty left to do as the start of summer approaches.
Don’t miss our May garden checklist if you need to play a bit of catch-up.
Indoors
While summer gardening is in full swing and most of your tasks will be outdoors this month, now is a great time to start planning your fall garden. Get your seed stash organized and pre-order shallot and garlic bulbs if you plan on planting them.
Outdoors
You’ll have dirt under your fingernails all month—nature’s manicure, right? While much of your May planting won’t be producing this month, June is all about damage control and preventative maintenance. Potato beetles, cucumber beetles, cabbage moths, Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and squash borers are all your worst enemies this month. Keep brassica crops covered with a removable row cover to protect them as much as possible. If you spot aphids, give plant leaves a strong jet spray of water to dislodge the pests and invest in an organic-approved insecticidal soap to keep the aphids at bay. And, it’s less-than-ideal work, but hand-picking aphids or squash borer eggs is the humble job of every gardener.
But there is fun work to be had, too! You can continue direct sowing sunflowers, nasturtiums, marigolds, borage, and basil. Did you know that nasturtium is a powerhouse plant to have in the garden? Not only is every bit of it edible, but nasturtium is a “trap crop” meaning it attracts harmful pests like aphids and keeps them away from your more vulnerable vegetable plants.
You can also still direct sow squash, cucumbers, and beans. For an ample bean harvest all season, consider succession planting every two weeks for a crop that will be continuously producing.
Water your garden thoroughly once a week and aim to weekly or more to stay on top of it and keep the task more manageable.
If you have a thriving lilac or hydrangea, June is also an ideal time to take softwood cuttings to start new plants.
Give your compost pile a good turn or two on warm-weather days. Or, if you haven’t started a compost pile yet, start one—you’ll be cutting back on food waste and doing your soil a favor.
