Garden Calendar - June

June is the month when the first batch of harvest begins to ripen in the garden. Warm days benefit ripening strawberries and early cherries. Sun rays tempt gardeners to spend time outdoors, in the vegetable garden or garden. However, there is still plenty of work to do this month. In June, it's still possible to sow vegetable seeds intended for autumn harvest. Don't forget about regular harvesting of ripe red strawberries. A well-maintained lawn underlines the tidiness of the garden, so don't let your lawnmower sit idle. In June, pay attention to regular watering and fertilising of plants, bring indoor plants outside and provide plenty of sun and moisture to your prickly housemates - cacti.

Don't overdo it with lawn mowing - your neighbours certainly won't appreciate a started lawnmower on Sunday afternoon :-)

Which seeds to sow in June?

Most seeds have long been sown, but there are some that can go into the ground as late as June. These are mainly types of plants grown for late autumn harvest or plants with a short growing season that can be sown several times a year. When sowing plants with a short growing season, be careful whether they are short-day plants (e.g. radishes), their sowing would be unsuccessful in June, because instead of the desired bulbs, you would get rapid flowering of the plant. In June, you can sow, for example, Hilton Chinese cabbage, some varieties of beans, peas, swede, beetroot. You can also sow lettuce and carrots intended for autumn harvest.

What garden work not to forget in June?

June is a month when garden work is in full swing. It's necessary to complete sowings of plants intended for autumn harvest, emerged plants need regular hoeing, weeding, watering, fertilising, tying to supports, pinching out shoots. On top of all this, strawberries are beginning to ripen, some cherry varieties... Growers and gardeners have their hands full all month. What should you really not forget in the June rush? Pre-grown tomato seedlings planted in May have started to grow vigorously and need to be attached to a support or special spiral stake so that the developing fruits don't break the plants. When tying up cordon tomato varieties, don't forget to remove side shoots, which unnecessarily exhaust the plants and thus reduce the harvest.

In June, don't forget to tie up cordon tomatoes and pinch out side shoots.

Attention, don't remove side shoots from bush tomato varieties!

Don't forget to provide support for beans and peas, and prop up heavy gooseberry branches. In some cases, peppers will also require support. Potato growers must remember to earth up soil around the stems during June, giving the potatoes more space to grow. The growth of most crops should be supported with regular fertilizing. In June, switch from products labeled "start", which were designed to support green growth, to fertilizers that promote flower and fruit formation. When fertilizing, follow the manufacturer's recommended dosage.

Fighting diseases and pests is necessary all year round - what to do in June?

During rainy weather, the risk of plants being attacked by various mildews increases. For potatoes, avoiding over-fertilization with nitrogen fertilizers has proven effective as a preventive measure. If prevention fails, it's time to treat plants with special fungicides designed for the specific type of mildew. Treat tomato plants the same way. Pests don't rest in June either. Colorado beetles appear on potatoes and can be regularly picked off by hand; chemical spraying is more effective when they multiply. Fighting aphids attacking pepper plants often feels like tilting at windmills. It often happens that you destroy one batch of aphids only to have new ones appear in a few days. Besides peppers, aphid colonies also love to attack roses and fuchsias - start fighting them early to prevent damage to these beautiful plants.

Don't forget to remove tulip and hyacinth bulbs from the soil in June.

Take care of ornamental plants in June too.

Perhaps the most important task growers should complete in June is to remove tulip and hyacinth bulbs from the soil and store them in a dry, dark, and cooler place. The removed bulbs will rest in this spot until September, when they'll be planted back in the soil. Other ornamental plants, whether planted in beds or containers, grow vigorously in June and often set their first flowers. For these plants to live up to their "ornamental" label, they need regular watering during drier periods and fertilizing. From both aesthetic and practical perspectives, it's advisable to remove spent flowers - not only does this prevent plants from exhausting themselves unnecessarily, but containers full of dead flowers don't look good either. Many ornamental plants from your flower beds can brighten up your home after blooming - they'll bring you plenty of joy in a vase.

What to do with indoor plants during June?

The best option is to let them spend summer somewhere in the garden or on the terrace, that would be the short answer. Indoor plants also appreciate fresh air. In June, you can fertilize plants generously, which will support their regeneration and lush growth. When moving plants outside for summer, don't forget that indoor plants aren't used to large amounts of sunlight, so place them rather in partial shade to avoid sunburn.

In June, give cacti plenty of air, light and water - they will reward you with beautiful flowers.

Even cacti and succulents follow the calendar - what benefits them in June?

In June, cacti are in full growth, and in warm weather during the previous period, they may even be in full bloom by the end of the month. Cacti can stay outdoors in June without problems, in a location protected from rain. During this period, cacti can handle higher water intake because they need to "drink well" before high summer temperatures arrive. Rainwater is most suitable for watering, which you can occasionally enrich by adding a drop of fertilizer. June is a period when you can enjoy not only the beauty of your cacti and succulents, but you can also admire exhibition specimens at cactus shows organized by most clubs in June. You almost never leave these exhibitions empty-handed, and you'll also receive plenty of advice on how to properly care for cacti and succulents so they bloom regularly every year.

Cactus grower's tip - water plants before a thunderstorm, cacti will absorb the water beautifully.

What else is good to know in June? Provide bedding for ripening strawberries...

The size of the strawberry harvest largely depends on the weather. In rainy weather, strawberries ripen poorly and tend to rot quickly. A protective measure against rotting is placing mulching material under the strawberry plants. Strawberries can be grown on black textile from planting or can be bedded just before fruit ripening. At the beginning of the month, thoroughly weed the strawberries and loosen the soil, then lay out straw, black mulching textile or wilted cut grass around the strawberry plants. Your work can be made easier with special mulching foil with cutouts, which is pre-prepared specifically for mulching strawberries. Don't forget about slugs, which love to feast on ripe strawberries - set traps for them and collect them regularly. An undeniable advantage of bedding is that ripening fruits don't get dirty from muddy soil.

You'll especially appreciate mulching textile during harvest - strawberries don't rot and stay clean.