June Gardening

Mosquitos can start to be a pest now. Avoid standing water, or change it quite regularly. If that is impractical, consider mosquito dunks or another appropriate product to kill the larvae.

June often has good planting weather. If we have an excessively wet spring, this might be the first time your clay-based soil is actually dry enough to easily dig. It is a fine time for planting almost all types of plants, if you or someone is going to be around to water this summer. You cannot leave a June-planted tree, perennial, or vegetable bed to go without water during the summer that follows.

Our stock of annuals is at its peak right now. All warm season annuals should be available, including sunflowers, zinnias, vines, and other heat lovers. Clean out those empty or tired pots and get yourself some color. Remember, pansies often start to look pretty bad as the season gets hot, so many gardeners replace them in June with summer bloomers.

Our stock of perennials should be at or near its peak in this. While the earliest bloomers (Bergenia, candytuft, etc.) may be out of bloom, they may still be available for purchase. Summer bloomers like Crocosmia and daisies are also ready and waiting for their new homes.

Get those begonia and dahlia bulbs planted if you are still hanging on to them. Summer-flowering bulbs should be in the ground now, so plant ASAP if you have not already done so.

Many insect pests are problematic in June. Caterpillar damage may begin to get bad, and both aphids and slugs may reach significant populations. Thrips and whiteflies may appear on susceptible flowers, and both flea beetles and cutworms can be troublesome for vegetables. If you have a pest, try to identify it correctly in order to make the best decisions about control methods. We can always help with identification and recommend controls—whether it be natural predators, insecticides, or waiting the problem out.

Feed your roses and other summer flowering shrubs. Roses may be showing some fungal problems, such as black spot or powdery mildew, so watch for those and treat where appropriate. Roses often bloom in the first part of June, so it can be a great time for viewing or shopping for them.

If the weather has been wet, you may see significant shothole fungus on your cherries, plums, and their relatives. This fungus only spreads when the leaves are moist, but it can spread quickly if June is wet and you have not treated it. Feel free to inquire about an appropriate fungicide for this or other similar troubles.

It is too early for summer pruning of fruit trees, as truly dry weather is desirable for this. Also, most shrubs should not be pruned now. The only exceptions would be any rhododendrons or their relatives that have just finished flowering. Remember, you do not want to wait into summer for this, and it should be done promptly after flowering. Next year’s flower buds form during the current summer/autumn growth season, and we do not want to remove those by pruning.

Adult apple maggot flies become active as temperatures warm, laying their eggs on forming fruit. These are one of the types of “worm” you’ll find in apples. If you have had such a problem in the past, now is the time to hang traps and monitor for their presence. Please note, traps are generally not a remedy by themselves; they are usually accompanied by timely spraying once the pest is detected.

Finally, the danger of frost is almost assuredly past, so it’s time to get those crops going! Tomatoes, beans, melons, squash, peppers—all these and more are ready to plant in June. As always, please reference our veggie calendar for planting time recommendations. Remember, most fruiting veggies (like many of those just listed) enjoy fertilizer and fertile, loose soil with lime.

If you did an early to mid spring crop of greens, they should be harvestable about now. This might be your last good chance for starting another crop of these, as greens can be challenging to grow in the heat of summer. If they bolt, the flavor of the leaves turns bitter.

Early planted cole crops (e.g. cabbage, broccoli, etc.) may be harvested as soon as they’re ready. It is best to wait to replant these vegetables until late summer or early autumn. Avoid planting them now. Summer’s heat diminishes them, and you will have a meager harvest. These truly are cool-weather crops.

If the garlic that you started earlier this year or last year starts to flower, break off the stems. Allowing them to develop can drain energy, and therefore harvest, from the bulbs themselves. Try to be a moderate waterer, as inconsistent watering is one of the causes of premature flowering.

You can still start new grass seed in June, but watch its water needs carefully. If it gets hot and dry soon after germination, the grass may fail. Sod is a little easier this time of year, and fights back against the weeds more readily.

If you have not done so recently, go ahead and feed your lawn. While it is not generally recommended to feed lawn in late July to August, it is still part of the natural growing season for lawn grasses.

Watch for those thistles and dandelions. Now that the days are getting warmer,  they will start breeding all the faster. Dandelions can take dry conditions better than a lawn can, so be a consistent waterer. In addition, dandelions thrive in calcium depleted soil better than lawns, so be sure to keep up with lime applications.

Crane flies and other grubs are active this time of year, and if you have a patchy lawn, they could be the culprit. If you suspect their presence but don’t know for sure, dig up a section of it down to a few inches, and look for any ugly, white or gray grubs between ½ and 2 inches long. If you find them, treatments with insecticides or beneficial nematodes will often help. As always, use any insecticides according to label directions.