What to do in the Garden in June

Maintenance 

•  Prune lilacs, forsythia, rhododendrons, and other spring blooming shrubs after blooming.



•  Fertilize vegetable garden 1 month after plants emerge by side dressing alongside rows.



•  Harvest thinnings from new plantings of lettuce, onion, and chard.



•  Pick ripe strawberries regularly to avoid fruit-rotting diseases.



Photo from Christina Clark's garden

•   Use organic mulches to conserve moisture in vegetable & ornamental beds. Even just an inch of wood chips, grass clippings, sawdust, barkdust, straw, or composted leaves will minimize loss of water.  2-4 inches will also help control weeds and improve soil.


•  After normal fruit drop of apples, pears and peaches, consider thinning the remainder to for a crop of larger fruit, less branch breakage, and more consistent bearing.


Clusters of fruit can be thinned to just one.  

                           

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Make sure raised beds receive enough water to avoid drought stress. They dry out faster.

•     Construct trellises for tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, and vining ornamentals.

  One sturdy, cost effective, attractive material for this is remesh.  It is available at hardware stores in panels of about 4'x8'.  

Photo from Nanako Smith's Garden

 The top of the panels can be held together with zip ties.

 The base of your trellis can be held in place with rebar hammered well into the soil.  Zip ties can also be used to secure the trellis to the rebar.

 For plants that require a higher trellis, 10' posts are needed to support the top and the panels are placed on end.

Planting/Propagation

•  Plant dahlias & gladioli. Click here for Swan Island's tutorial on planting dahlias.   

•  Most plants that are put in the ground during summer will need extra water and possibly shade.  Potting media dries out much faster than soil and necessitates more frequent watering until roots have time to spread into native soil.

•  Learn to identify beneficial insects and plant some insectary plants (e.g. Alyssum, Phacelia, coriander, candytuft, sunflower, yarrow, dill) to attract them to your garden. Check with local nurseries for best selections. For more information, see Encouraging Beneficial Insects in Your Garden(PNW 550).



•  Blossoms on squash and cucumbers begin to drop; this is nothing to worry about. Cherries may also drop fruit; this is not a major concern.