June is finally here! With June comes the longest days of the year, which means more time for gardening! Below are some June gardening tips to help you make the most out of this (hopefully) sunny month!
Hoeing
Unfortunately, June is also when you may find weeds starting to sprout across your beds! To keep on top of June’s weed problems, hoe your borders and rake your soil as regularly as possible. Instead of using harmful chemicals, remove as many as you can by hand. Also, using a dark wood chip mulch to smother the surrounding areas of your produce is a good way to suppress weeds. If you have a paved area in your garden or allotment where weeds a rife, why not try a flame gun to burn them right down to their roots.
Hanging Baskets
As we mentioned preparing hanging baskets in last months Hints & Tips, now would be the time to put them outside. It’s a good idea to have multiple sets of baskets so you don’t have to wait for the summer flowers to die before you can start preparing your winter set. It’s vital to use high quality compost with hanging baskets as the plants need all the nutrients they can get in the limited space.
Potatoes
Harvest early potatoes and prepare to plant some new ones. Charlotte and Maris Peer potatoes are the variety you want to plant mid-June. Chitting isn’t necessary this time of year as the warmth of the compost will quickly promote growth, just make sure they are planted in a warm sunny spot. Remember to “earth up” by using a spade to cover up the shoots with soil leaving a few centimes poking out.
Lawn Care
In June you want to start mowing on a weekly basis if possible. Raise the blades on your lawn mower to reduce the level of stress on the grass and use a lawn fertiliser. Weeds will also be thriving on your lawn throughout June so do as much weeding as possible by hand and if necessary, use a weed killer. Remember to aerate the high traffic areas of the lawn, such as common pathways or a goalie spot. Use a fork or get an aeration roller to make the job a lot easier.
Tender Vegetables
Sow and plant out tender vegetables such as Tomatoes and cucumbers. You want to start feeding tender vegetables as soon as they start to flower. A good tomato-based fertiliser should do the trick. Remember to watch out for random cold nights as tender vegetables don’t respond well to the cold, keep some felt near by to cover them just in case.
June is when the weather is supposed to start getting nicer. The sun combined with the longer days means your produce has more time to grow. Also, the longer days are useful for busy days in the garden or allotment, giving you the much needed to for those big jobs.
We hope these June gardening tips have come in handy! No high yielding produce is without high quality compost. Shop for Compost, Topsoil and Mulches at Earth Cycle
