June Regional Gardening Chores

By the month of June, all northern hemisphere gardens are in full throttle. Garden chores are almost equalized across zones. Warmer climates are still ahead of the game, shifting into a transition period northern gardeners don’t experience. But crops are still growing, insects are still feasting and, despite the heat and humidity, this is not the time to rest. So start (or refuel) your gardening engines and choose a few tasks from June's To Do Gardening List.

Everyone

Miscellaneous

Work around the humidity (early am, late afternoon / evening)
Keep new plants well watered
Check your mulch
Side dress with compost or manure or feed with fish emulsion, for mid-season pick-up
Check foliage for signs of nutrient deficiency
Give the compost a turn
Give your houseplants a summer vacation outdoors
Make sure the birds have fresh water

Ornamentals

Keep up on deadheading, for long season bloom
Pinch back tall growing fall bloomers like asters, monarda and helianthus

Vegetables

Stop harvesting asparagus and rhubarb
Replace cool season crops, like spinach, that have bolted from the heat.
Get any remaining warm season vegetables in the ground
Keep up blanching of celery, cauliflower and tender greens
Plant a new batch of bush beans every couple of weeks
Keep tomato plants staked as they grow. Pinch out suckers.
Put a couple of drops of mineral oil on corn silks within a week after they appear, to prevent corn earworm

Fruit

Be prepared for June Drop of fruit from fruit trees. They're just thinning out to a manageable crop size. Clean up any fallen fruit.

Protect ripening berries with nets or row covers

Trees & Shrubs

If you want to prune or shear your evergreens, do so as soon as the new growth starts to turn a darker green. Once the wisteria finishes blooming, you can do a maintenance pruning to keep it in check

Pests