Tender plants are ready to go out and thrive in June
June is a busy month in the garden, but I’m always delighted to have a long to- do list as an excuse to be outside as much as possible on long, light early summer days. The risk of frost is now past, which means that tender plants such as dahlias, cannas, tomatoes, French beans, squashes and courgettes, along with half- hardy summer bedding, can all be planted outside if they haven’t been already. Gradually acclimatise young plants raised under cover to cooler, more blustery outdoor conditions by moving them outside for progressively longer periods over 7- 10 days. French beans and courgettes can also be sown directly into the soil now, although I’ve suffered so many failures in cold, wet summers that I always grow a supply of dwarf French beans and the climbing courgette ‘ Black Forest’ in my greenhouse for a reliable crop. Courgette, tomato, cucumber and melon plants will all be growing rapidly under glass and will need tying into their supporting canes regularly, and while you’re at it, remove the sideshoots between the main stem and branches of tomato varieties to be grown as tall, singlestemmed cordons. Consider applying shade paint or netting to your greenhouse early in June, to prevent delicate leaves being scorched by intense sunlight.
Netting can be a valuable tool to protect fruit and vegetable crops from pests at this time of year. Use it to cover ripening soft fruit, such as strawberries and blueberries, to prevent hungry birds making off with your harvest, or to protect newly transplanted brassicas, like sprouting broccoli and kale, from marauding pigeons and egg- laying butterflies. The soft growing tips of broad bean
plants can also be pinched out once they are in flower, to stop them becoming infested with blackfly. The rewards for your efforts should be plentiful this month, as the first peas, broad beans and new potatoes become ready to harvest, along with salad leaves, radishes, spring onions and perhaps baby beetroot.
The ornamental garden will be in full swing now too and the easiest way to keep it looking its best is to get out and potter regularly, pulling
I’m always delighted to have a long to- do list as an excuse to be outside as much as possible
out or hoeing off any weeds as they arise, removing faded bulb foliage, tying in climbers as they grow, and staking any tall plants that need extra support. Deadheading is another important task, which directs plants’ energies into producing more flowers instead of seeds. Finally, remember that plants growing under cover or in containers, along with those that have recently been planted or moved, will all need regular watering, particularly in the warm, sunny weather that June promises and sometimes even delivers. n