When it comes to the question of what to plant in June, there is plenty to choose from.
With its long, warm days, and extra sunlight hours, June is a busy time at this midpoint of the gardening year.
Now is the time to plant out flowers and crops you sowed indoors in spring as part of your garden ideas, as well as harvest and repeat-sow earlier vegetable plantings to prolong the period of harvest into fall. You can also have fun creating colorful displays with hanging baskets and containers.
What to plant in June – vegetable and fruit crops to plant now
When it comes to vegetables to plant in June, 'this is a time to make sure you plant for the coming fall and winter ahead, while harvesting the produce from earlier plantings,' explains Mr Mitford, who manages the kitchen garden ideas at Hawkstone Hall.
'We use this month for repeat sowings of vegetables, such as growing carrots, beans, beetroot, spinach, cauliflower and all the salad crops, which will prolong the harvest period and ensure fresh pickings well into fall,' he adds. This is especially important if you have a small vegetable garden to maximize the use of all available space.
If you started growing strawberries earlier in the year, they should be showing fruit in June, so continue to pick regularly to promote fruit production.
1. Summer cabbage
'Summer cabbage varieties can provide cabbages throughout the year and are easy to care for,' explains Mr Mitford.
Space them 13in (37cm apart), with 11in (30cm) between rows as part of your vegetable garden ideas. 'Take care not to grow cabbages in the same place that you grew them – or other brassicas – previously,' advise the experts at the Royal Horticultural Society.
'Grow summer cabbages in very firm soil, with plenty of aged manure or compost. Pick off cabbage butterfly and caterpillars and protect plants with netting,' adds Mr Mitford. Also try companion planting to keep pests away from your cabbage crops.
2. Radishes
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You can direct sow radish seeds into the ground now that all threat of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up. With their crispy crunch and strong flavor, radishes are a lovely addition to summer salads.
It's easy to learn how to grow radishes and you can harvest some of the varieties within just a few weeks of sowing, advises Amy Enfield of Bonnie Plants,
3. Okra
Okra – otherwise known as ladies fingers – grows best in hot weather so is especially popular in southern states.
If you are keen to know how to grow okra, 'by using seedlings, you can take 3 weeks or more off from its usual long season. As long as okra seedlings are handled gently, they can be added in to the garden just as the warmer season begins,' explain the Bonnie Plants experts.
Space okra plants 10in (25cm) apart in the sunniest spot in the backyard, which has fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.0.
Okra is a 'cut-and-come-again' vegetable, so once they start producing, if you keep cutting the pods every day or two, they will keep on coming.
