Vegetable garden calendar - June

Sowing in open ground

Summer, drawing closer, will bring first big heatwaves, which you will fight with a watering can… Nevertheless, it cannot be repeated enough: never water during day, you lose all effectiveness and water is wasted through intense evaporation. Moreover, watering in full sun on plant tissue is very bad and can cause irreversible damage to your plant.

On that little “watering” aside, back to vegetables that can be sown in June:

• Broccoli, harvested 60 days after sowing; I have in mind Calabrese Green Broccoli for example,
• Beetroot, variety Cylindra for better yield,
• Seasonal carrots, such as Nandor F1, enjoyed in summer,
• Garden cress, sown in staggered plantings from March to September,
• Spinach, such as Viridis which resists running to seed well,
• Endive, Chicory Witloof Zoom F1 for example. Carry out regular hoeing and mulching is recommended in case of severe drought to conserve moisture at base of plant.
• Lettuce, such as Batavia Hollywood; remember to protect from slugs, for example with Ferramol. It is a natural slug control product.
• Turnip, sown near fennel, which will help repel flea beetle and turnip fly.
• Radish, Flambo for example,
• Courgettes, note that if you plan to go on holiday you must cut off all open female flowers as well as all courgettes from your plant before leaving. Indeed, if one remains on the plant, all vigour of the plant will feed that vegetable and it will become gigantic.
• Cucumbers, non-bitter and disease-resistant, namely Gynial F1,
• Gherkins, sow during a warm period to accelerate development and harvest sooner. They tolerate heat well.
• Melon, my secret to know if it will be sweet at harvest? Weigh it. Indeed, the heavier it is, the sweeter it will be. Also check whether stem is flexible rather than stiff — that shows it is ripe.
• Green beans, remember to support climbing varieties such as Cobra
• Aromatic herbs such as dill, parsley, coriander and chives.

Prevent slug attacks — slugs love vegetables — by scattering crushed eggshells around base of plants.

Vegetables to transplant in the vegetable patch

In recent months, if you have sown in heated conditions or under cover, it is time to transplant them into open ground. Best to harden them off by putting them outside for a few hours a day, about 10 days before outdoor transplanting. This applies to:

• Basil, at 2–4 leaves stage
• Aubergine, most commonly grown varieties are Longue Violette and Barbentane
• Melon, in rich, deep soil, allow 1 metre spacing between each young plant
• Tomato, at 5–7 leaves stage
• Pepper, in full sun
• Chilli, Cayenne for example
• courgette, add compost at transplanting
• Cucumber, watch for powdery mildew to which it is very susceptible. If necessary, spray with wettable sulphur every two weeks
• Autumn leek, transplant in June for harvest in October
• Lettuce, when 4–5 leaves stage reached

Vegetables to plant in your vegetable patch

Vegetables to plant in the vegetable patch in June are:

• Cabbage Daubenton perpetual, for example,
• Sweetcorn, such as Golden Bantam Organic, mid-early,
• Cabbage (cauliflower, red, broccoli, green or Brussels sprouts),
• Lettuce, variety Kagraner Sommer 3 is perfect for summer and autumn harvests, and the icing on the cake is that it copes well with heat.
• Leek, pair with carrot — carrot fly hates leek and vice versa!
• Celery,
• Beetroot, such as Crapaudine. Sun-loving, it nevertheless requires cool soil. Think about mulching — find all our tips here.

In June, in the vegetable patch, it's also a good time to…

• Harvest garlic, herbs, asparagus, shallots, broad beans, turnips, peas, rocket, spinach, radishes, green cabbage, white onions…
• Hoe between the ranks, to remove weeds and encourage water penetration (one hoeing = two waterings!)
• Mulch around seedlings to avoid proliferation of weeds, which would hinder their growth,
• Water in the evening to retain moisture for longer, limit evaporation and thus save water,
• Stake tomatoes and remove suckers. Place them among cabbages to prevent whitefly.
• Prune melons, cucumbers, aubergines and squashes to speed up production,
• Earth up potatoes and prevent appearance of late blight caused by alternating warm and humid periods, thanks to nettle or comfrey manures for example. Follow all our tips to prepare them correctly.

Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Please note

This sowing calendar is for guidance only. Bear in mind that sowing, pricking out, planting and harvest times can be earlier or later depending on region and weather. Different varieties of the same vegetable also allow earlier or later harvests.

You can refer to our map to find which climate zone corresponds to your area.

Before sowing or planting your vegetables and herbs, take the weather into account and check the forecast for the coming days!