Get the most out of your garden in June

WITH generally better weather (even though this year has been a bit disappointing) June is a month that we can get the most out of our garden.

Maintenance is top priority in June. Staying on top of general garden tasks can take up most of your time. Weeding is a regular task for both flower beds and vegetable patches. Dead heading flowering plants, watering and feeding should take place weekly and more frequently in your greenhouse. Average temperatures for the month of June reach 17 degrees which has the effect of slowing down grass growth. This can mean you need to cut your grass less often and also that grass can be slower to recover from damage or maintenance work during June and July. Here are some things to do.

IN THE FRUIT AND VEG GARDEN

1. Thin out vegetable rows that have been sown directly;

2. Keep raised beds well watered and feed plants with a liquid fertiliser;

3. Keep an eye on thirsty plants including pumpkins, squash, courgettes and tomatoes and ensure they are keep moist;

4. Continue to sow vegetables for a late autumn harvest. You still have time to sow lettuce, cabbage, peas and beans. You can also sow broccoli, beetroot, carrots and parsnips.

5. Spray potatoes and tomatoes for blight. Listen out for blight warnings;

6. Keep rows of brassicas covered with garden netting to protect against caterpillars and the cabbage white moth;

7. Weed between rows regularly, especially younger crops;

8. Potatoes should be earthed up once it has 10cm of foliage growth above soil level.

IN THE GREENHOUSE

1. Watering can be increased over the course of the month;

2. Check pots regularly for slugs;

3. Clean trays early in the month and ensure water is not stagnant

4. Open greenhouse door during the day to keep ventilated;

5. Tomatoes can be pinched out to reduce number of flowering stems. Also, begin liquid feed once flowers emerge;

6. Wet the floor of the greenhouse to reduce temperatures and increase humidity.

PLANT CARE

1. Spray roses with rose clear and keep feeding and deadheading;

2. Pruning and training of spring flowering plants can be done now. There are a number of plants that can be cut back now, including forsythia, heathers, buddleia, wisteria, azaleas, magnolia, weigela.

3. Cut the flowering spikes off heuchera to maintain their compact growth habit; 4. Keep recently planted hedging, trees and shrubs well watered.

LAWN CARE

1. Grass growth slows in June and this means that lawn care tasks should be put on hold;

2. Keep cutting your grass every 10 days;

3. Mulch grass once each month;

4. Apply dicophar weed killer to control broadleaf weeds on your lawns;

5. Feed lawns with nitrogen based fertiliser once each month.

GARDEN BEDS AND BORDERS

1. Mulch up around the base of plants to provide weed control, moisture retention and fertiliser;

2. Plant out summer herbaceous seedlings such as marigolds, heleniums, delphiniums, cosmos, asters amongst others. Cut back geraniums after flowering;

3. Train wisteria and honeysuckle to a support frame;

4. Position a support around tall herbaceous plants such as verbena and echinacea.