Vegetable Garden in June

The vegetable garden is June is no different to the rest of the garden in that month; everything is really starting to burst forth with the promise of good and delicious eating to come.

Yes, vegetable gardening can sometimes seem like hard work but the rewards are plenty. Not only are your vegetables tastier and fresher but there is the satisfaction of knowing that you have grown them from seed.

Vegetable garden tips are useful and welcome no matter how long we have been gardening, there is always so much to learn and remember.

Starting vegetable gardens is a topic of its own, here are some timely reminder, hints and tips for the vegetable garden in June.

Peas

Early sowings of peas may be ready for harvesting depending upon your location. Gently press the pods to check if the peas have swollen to a size ready for picking and after cropping cut off the top of the plants but leave the roots in the ground to fix nitrogen from the air into the ground.

Peas need staking and this can be achieved with pea sticks, netting, or pruned twigs from the garden. Netting is practical but somehow does not look as natural in my opinion as twiggy supports.

Maincrop peas can be sown now.

Potatoes

If you have planted early potato tubers they may be ready or almost ready for harvesting. As a guide many are ready when the plants come into flower. When digging them up take care not to damage or skewer your potatoes with your fork. Avoid this by inserting your fork some distance away and lifting the soil carefully.

For maincrop potatoes Keep a close and regular check and earth them up as required which should result in 2 inch or 5 cm of shoot showing above ground or the compost in your container.

If planting through black plastic check regularly for slugs, the cool damp conditions under the plastic are an ideal home.

Celeriac

Celeriac can be planted out in June. It is many years since I discovered this vegetable and started to grow it regularly. Easy to grow and excellent in soups, a vegetable on its own or mashed into potato.

Self Blanching Celery

Self blanching celery can be planted out in June. Dig in lots of organic matter into your bed and either plant in blocks or place a strip of plastic around the edge of the block to exclude some light which improves the pale colour and sweetens the blanched stems.

Runner Beans and French Beans

What a great crop for any garden whether grown in the ground or in containers.

Sow French and runner beans directly into prepared beds outside.

French beans are best sown in traditional rows, 18in (45cm) apart, at 6-9in (15-22cm) spacing.

Ideally prepare the planting position by digging in plenty of well rotted manure and / or organic matter.

They will need supporting and this can be achieved by tying bamboo canes together to form a wigwam or netting stretched over poles. Bamboo canes are ideal as the plants can be planed inside the wigwam poles rather than outside which makes hoeing easier and lessens the risk of accidentally cutting off one of your precious beans.

Courgettes, Marrows and Pumpkins

Courgettes, marrows and pumpkins can still be sown outdoors in early June. Remember to keep a close check on developing courgettes. Turn your back for a moment and you may have to look up a recipe for using marrows!

Encourage good fruit set by hand pollinating. This is easily done by pushing the male flowers which you can identify by the lack of swollen stem or young fruit behind the petals lightly into the female flowers.

Salad Crops

Especially in warm summers we need a regular supply of salad crops. To ensure this regular supply continue success ional sowing of salad crops such as beetroot, Chinese cabbage, pak choi and radish, to ensure an even supply over the season. In hot weather, leafy salad crops may do better when sown in partially shady sites. Hot dry weather can lead to bitter tasting leaves.

More varieties are being introduced that are suitable for picking as young leaves, many as cut and come again. Consider Mizuna, Purslane, Greek Cress and Spinach. This also includes unlikely candidates such as beetroot but the young leaves are delicious and colourful in salads. Beware; the leaves also bleed red just like the root!

Harvest salad onions, salad leaves, beetroot and radishes as they mature.

Tomatoes

Plant out tomatoes if this has not already been done.

See Best Tomatoes - Growing Tips.

Cucumbers

Harvest cucumbers grown under glass regularly to encourage more fruit to set. Consider the superb smaller varieties that are ideal for a single meal such as Cucumber Green Fingers which is a mini cucumber that is early cropping and high yield.

Outdoor ridge cucumbers can be planted out in June. Ideally enrich their bed with lots of organic matter to help retain water. Pinch out the tip of the plant when it has made six pairs of leaves and this will encourage side shoot and cucumber formation.

Feed regularly with a liquid tomato feed.

Sweetcorn

Sow Sweetcorn directly into prepared beds outside.

Sweetcorn works best planted in blocks at 18in (45cm) spacing with two seeds per hole. The strongest seedling can be selected and you will have the safety of a fall-back in case of slug damage.

Seeds sown earlier under cover can now be planted out into the same block pattern.

Brassicas

Summer and autumn cabbage varieties sown during April in seedbeds should be transplanted along with brussels sprouts.

Cover young brassica crops with nets to protect them from pigeons. Friends with a smallholding tell me they have had crops decimated by these pests.

Look out for the small holes flea beetles make on brassica seedlings. Water well to help them continue to grow despite the pest damage.

Pick yellowing leaves off brassicas promptly to prevent the spread of grey mould and brassica downy mildew.

Carrots

Keep carrot fly off carrots by covering them with a fine woven plastic mesh. Ensure that the corners are well tucked in or buried to prevent them breaching this defence. There is nothing worse than lifting your carefully grown crop and looking forward to a tasty meal only to find your carrots are riddled with carrot fly. They can smell your crop from miles away and hone in, the good news is that they fly close to the ground so a barrier such as mesh or fleece keeps them at bay.

Japanese Onions

Over wintered Japanese onions can be harvested when the tops start to fall over. Leave the bulbs to dry in a sunny spot outside or alternatively in an airy shed if rain is forecast. This will allow the skins to harden and the bulbs to store better.

Turnips

Turnips can still be sown now for an autumn crop, sow them in drills 6in (15cm) apart and thin them as soon as they are large enough to handle leaving one plant every 4in (10cm). They are best lifted while still young and sweet.

Artichokes

Plant out artichokes that have been sown indoors. The tall handsome plants can be steamed and unopened flower buds are considered a delicacy. They can be grown as perennials needing 90cm spacing or as biennials in which case 45cm spacing is sufficient.

Herbs

The season of herb crops such as basil, coriander and parsley can be extended with successional sowings.

Broad Beans

Sow broad beans directly into prepared beds outside.

When large enough pinch out young and soft tops to discourage blackfly.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that is easy to prepare by steaming and serving with butter or hollandaise sauce. When cut if the end of the spear seems a little woody, beginning at the "ground end" tap a sharp kitchen knife at short intervals along the spear until the knife goes in and cuts the asparagus.

Harvest spears from established plants for six to eight weeks from May into the early summer. Tempting though it may be, do not harvest spears from crowns less than two years old.

After harvest and flowering, it is a good idea to feed them so that they have sufficient energy for next year’s crop.

Cut the feathery foliage to add interest to a vase of flowers.

Peppers

Peppers grown under glass should only be planted out when all risk of frost has passed.

Catch Crops

Sow quick maturing crops such as radish and lettuce to make the best use of space where early vegetables have been picked or lifted and before a later maturing crop is planted.

Weeds

Control weeds to prevent them competing for moisture and nutrients with your beloved and well nurtured plants - otherwise there will only be one winner!

Hoe regularly between rows on hot days to make sure the weeds dry up and die, in damp or wet weather there is a good chance they will re-root and all your good work will be wasted.

Weedkiller is usually not a good idea as there is a high risk of it killing or damaging your crops as well as killing the weeds, an unexpected breeze is all it requires when you press the button on the spray.

Slugs

Slug controls are necessary now as always, after all we only grow our succulent young crops for them, don't we?

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