The Vegetable Growing Year: Jobs to do in June

The risk of frost will have passed and so if you’ve yet to plant out those tender plants, now is the time to do it. There is still plenty to do on the plot but with the extra daylight available, you should have plenty of time to get on top of things.

Watering
With summer in full swing, June can be a dry month, so it’s important to keep watering your plants. Push your finger under the soil, and if it feels dry you need to water. Remember plants in containers will need more water than those planted in the ground.

Support
Plants like tomatoes will continue to grow skywards, so it’s important to give them support. Simply tie the main stem to a cane but not too tight as the stem will expand. Also keep pinching out sideshoots as they take away the energy from the flowers and fruit.

Runner and French beans will happily climb up their support with very little help from yourself. However they may need a helping hand to get started. When the plants are tall enough, tie them to their support with some twine and remember allow room for the stem to expand.

To what sow and plant

  • You can start planting your brassicas into their final positions, along with squash, courgettes and pumpkins.
  • Transplant your leeks when they are roughly the size of a pencil. Don’t cut the leaves or roots as there is little benefit from doing so.
  • Plant out your outdoor tomatoes if you haven’t done so already. Make sure you harden them off before planting out though.
  • June is really the last month you can sow anything. The days start getting shorter and so plants have less light available to them.

What you can eat now

  • You should have plenty of salad crops to keep you going such as lettuce, spring onion, radish and beetroot.
  • Your first early potatoes should be ready to lift if you planted them in March/April.
  • Strawberries will start to ripen in June. Pick them every couple of days when they are entirely red. Eat them fresh or, use in jams or cordials.

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