Gardening in June

June is a key month! It signals the midpoint of the year, the end of spring and the beginning of summer. It is also our last chance to sow seeds of runner beans or main crop carrots and peas, it marks your first opportunity to harvest crops like new potatoes, beetroot, onion, strawberries, cherries and gooseberries. The longest day is on the 21^{st so your plants will be increasingly receives more sun light and temperatures should be steadily rising. You will need to keep tirelessly vigilant over pests to keep them down to manageable levels.}

Here are some top growing tips from Hill Side Herbs for June.
Harvest new season early potatoes, peas and broad beans, onions, beetroot, summer salads, and fruit such as strawberries, gooseberries and cherries
Sow seeds for vegetables, salads, and herbs
Plant out tender seedlings with confidence, now that danger of frost has passed
Weed ruthlessly and water regularly to give young plants their best possible chance
Net peas, cabbages and fruit bushes against hungry birds
Keep a careful watch for slugs, snails, blackfly, cabbage white caterpillars, carrot fly and other harmful insects
*Ripening strawberries can be pampered with a bed of soft straw. It will protect them from getting dirtied by rain splashing up from wet soil and may also help to deter slugs.

Here is a list of 17 vegetables, 4 salads and 3 fruits you can harvest in June:

Veg:
Potatoes
Swiss Chard/Spinach Beet
Turnips
Cauliflowers
Asparagus
Broad Beans
Garlic
Globe Artichokes
Beetroot
Onions
Spinach
Peas
Florence Fennel
Kohl Rabi
Carrots
Rhubarb
Broccoli
Salads:
Lettuces
Spring Onions
Radishes
Salad Leaves
Fruit:
Strawberries
Gooseberries
Cherries
Sowing your seeds in June reduces danger of frost and it is possible to sow your seeds outside!


Vegetable seeds to sow outside:
Beetroot
Broccoli
Carrots
Courgettes and summer Squashes
Florence Fennel
French Beans
Kale
Kohl Rabi
Marrows
Oriental Leaves
Peas
Pumpkins and winter squashes
Runner Beans
Swedes
Swiss Chard
Turnips *French beans are ready for a second sowing this month.


Salad seeds to sow outside:
Chicory
Cucumbers
Endives
Lettuces
Radishes
Salad leaves
Spring onions
Vegetables to plant out:
Aubergines
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbages
Cauliflowers
Celeriac
Chilli Peppers
Courgettes and summer Squashes
French beans
Kale
Leeks
Marrows
Pumkins
Runner Beans
Broccoli
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Peppers
Sweetcorn
Salads to plant out:
Celery
Chicory
Cucumbers
Endives
Tomatoes
Fruit to plant out:
Cape Gooseberry
Melons
Strawberries The battle against weeds is relentless, it is estimated that there may be as many as 100,000 weed seeds!


Weeding tips:

Hoe regularly to catch weeds while they are young
Don’t let weeds flower or they will generate a new crop of seeds
Hoe when its dry so that severed and uprooted weeds die quickly
Loosen soil thoroughly so that when you dig up roots you leave nothing behind
If the soil is damp collect up and dispose of any remains to ensure that they don’t re grow
Don’t put perennial weeds on to your compost heap
Use lightproof membrane mulches to kill established weeds
Spread surface mulches to suppress the growth of new seeds
Use chemicals systemic weed killers as a last resort

Jobs for June!

Weed
Water
Mulch
Check nets
Feed Tomatoes
Earth up potatoes
Build supports for climbing beans
Cut down broad beans and peas
Feed asparagus
Summer-Prune herbs
Pot strawberry runners
Remove raspberry suckers
Tie in blackberries and hybrid berries
Thin out apples and pears
Twice thin plumbs
Tie in and thin peaches
Summer-prune figs

We are extremely interested in seeing your gardens, vegetables plots and plants so get sending in your pictures! We would like to read some of your stories and any good ideas you have for recipies!! Send them in via our facebook page or twitter!
You will find us at:

Hillside Herbs

23 Jasmine Rd,

Kates Hill

Dudley

DY2 7NL

01384 816710/ Jenny Cadman 07702820175