To-Do List For Your Garden In June

I have a to-do list for my garden in June to be done before July.

Typically the garden is in full swing come June. And summer officially begins on June 21.

When July rolls around, the heat is growing intense and uncomfortable. So I like to get a good head start in June.

Usually I purchase my plants in late April and May. By June I’ve added annuals for color, and perennials I hope to have coming back year after year.

In June, for me garden maintenance consists mostly of watering plants, deadheading flowers, and watching for insect invasions.

And of course weeding. The weeding can get ahead of you if you’re not careful. Weeds compete with your plants for water, light, and nutrients.

Walking The Garden:

Even though I live in an apartment, I still have a fairly big backyard.

I plant a lot of containers to make planting easier.

Having different heights for plants draws the eye up. This makes your garden more interesting to look at.

I also like to have a water fountain in my garden. Mine is at the end of the patio near some of my container plants.

Running water attracts more wildlife than a still water source like a bird bath.

I love to sit down when I’m tired and listen to the sound of water running. It relaxes me.

During my garden walk, I check to see if any of the leaves on plants are wilting. Maybe the sun is too harsh for the container plant.

Then I will usually move it to a slightly shadier area. If it still looks distressed after a few days I will move it even farther into the shade.

This is easier if you have a large container plant on a plant caddie with wheels.

If you happen to be a senior like me, you might want to invest in plant caddies for large containers. Here is my favorite plant caddie:

It is a 16 inch heavy duty plant caddie on wheels and will hold up to 500 pounds. I doubt you have a plant that big!

It’s a little pricier than some of the others, but the others I ordered were flimsy.

This one is quite durable. When ordering online, you’re not sure of the real quality until it arrives and you put a plant on it. This one I’m sure of.

Other Garden Chores For June & Through Summer:

I’ll remove spent blooms, which I typically do daily. I’m the type to visit my garden more than once a day because I like to walk among my plants.

It’s like visiting a friend for me. So I will notice things like dead blooms and pinch them off.

If I see ladybugs it always makes me smile. I even named my younger daughter’s first grade T-Ball team The Ladybugs.

Ladybugs play a major role in keeping down insect populations on plants.

Also, ladybugs have quite the appetite for aphids. A ladybug can eat up to 5000 aphids over its lifetime.

Play Close Attention To New Plants:

I always pay close attention to new plants. They must be watered properly to give them the best chance of becoming established in my garden.

You don’t want to invest in plants only to forget to water them and have them die before summer is over.

If you’re harvesting your herbs, June might be time to head back to the nursery for more plants. I love herbs and plant them every year.

Herbs help deter insects because bugs don’t like the strong scent. Particularly lemon.

This is why you will see Citronella plants for sale at the nursery.

Citronella as we think of it is actually an essential oil produced by the leaves and stems of lemongrass plants.

A different grass, Cymbopogon (of the lemongrass genus) produces the perfumed oil.

Citronella plants (or Pelargonium citrosum) are commonly thought to be the best at repelling mosquitos.

There are other plants that repel insects. The ones I know of all are herbs.

So this is one reason I like to plant herbs in my garden. I also plant them for the scent and I like being able to cook with them.

Nest time you’re at the nursery, ask where the lemon verbena and pineapple sage plants are. Rub the leaves and smell them. You might even end up buying them.

I buy them every year for my garden space.

Succession Planting:

A second crop is called succession planting.

Succession planting is planting the seeds at intervals of 7 to 21 days so you’ll have a consistent supply of produce.

In essence, it is planting a new crop after having harvested the first one.

Usually the garden is looking fuller in June. Look for bare spots in your garden where you might find room to plant something else.

On the other hand, if plants look crowded, remove some of the plants and plant them elsewhere.

If I’m planting tomatoes, I usually plant marigolds nearby because marigolds will deter pests.

The Almanac will give you good suggestions for companion planting. I recall my granny always getting the Almanac and it was her plant bible.

Now of course it’s online and easy to access.

Pay Attention To Your Growing Zone:

Use your growing zone as a true indicator of what and when you can plant vegetables and flowers, etc. It all depends on what part of the country you live in.

If you don’t know your gardening zone, you can look it up via your zip code at the US Department of Agriculture website.

I live in Zone 7a.

Container Plants:

Check the moisture level in your containers every day. If the top 2 inches are dry, water until it runs out of the bottom of the planter.

I’ve always had quite a few container plants in my garden. Well, probably more than a few actually.

It’s best to water in the morning.

The latest time to plant most vegetables is the second week of June.

To Summarize Gardening Chores In June:

• Pull weeds from the garden before they become invasive
• Remove plants that are crowding one another and plant them elsewhere
• Pay attention to watering new plants to get them established
• Plant most vegetables by the second week of June
• Stake tall plants and vines
• Watch closely for insect invasions on plants
• Keep a close on your plants and look under the leaves for insects
• Enjoy your garden!

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