June Gardening
Your garden should be in full bloom now but don’t put your green thumb away just yet. Your plants always need tender loving care and now that it’s June there is another set of tasks to check off your to-do list.
Quick Checklist:
- Monitor the growth in your vegetable garden. Add more soil if needed and start staking your plants to help them grow.
- Weeds growing? Pick them out now so you don’t have to worry about them later. Apply landscape fabric between rows to help prevent more from popping up.
- Water your garden wisely by setting up a schedule. Soaker hoses work great! Water the soil, not the foliage. Low and slow gives the roots the solid soak that they need.
- Start harvesting your spring veggies. Plant your summer crops such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, and cucumbers!
Watch for Diseases
Leaf spot on deciduous plants, and powdery mildew are a few common diseases you’ll want to avoid in your gardens. With the heat rising and insects coming out, your plants are going to be more susceptible to being infected and developing serious health issues. June is also the time when your Roses are bursting, so avoid black spots as much as possible.
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*Tip: Avoid spreading diseases by disinfecting pruners and other gardening tools in between uses with alcohol.
Plant Care
Weeding and thinning of plants will help get rid of tangled messes in the flower beds. Plants like annuals tend to get tied up within one another so get down to their level and prune where needed. As the plants develop you want to avoid the fight for light. Faded petals from peonies, irises, delphiniums and more perennials can be removed. Mulching your valuable perennials and ornamental shrubs with a nutrient-rich bark mulch will help retain moisture around the roots, slowly release nutrients to the plant over time, and a 3” layer of mulch works wonders to suppress weeds.
Lawn Care
The care for your lawn is just as important during this season. Mowing regularly and leaving clippings for your garden will help return nutrients. Keep a steady 1/2-inch higher to protect tops of plants from the extreme summer heats. Apply a 24-hour grub killer if you are seeing signs of damage. Now is the time for your Step 2 fertilizer to give the roots of your lawn a boost and knockdown broadleaf weeds. Lawn diseases are prevalent right now. Disease controls work much better as a preventative measure than curative for existing conditions. Some lawns are already showing signs of stress due to lack of regular rain, consider setting up your sprinklers and put them on a timer.
Keep the Pests OUT!
Insects and animals are going to want a piece of your garden or destroy it altogether. Use products like Bonide Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew to apply to your plants. It’s great for organic gardening and you can reapply every 4-10 days depending on the plant. You can also plant specific items in your garden that will naturally repel insects from your home and backyard. You can also plant specific items in your garden that will naturally repel insects from your home and backyard. To learn more, read 8 Bug Repelling Plants.
As always, Agway has your gardening needs so don’t be shy, ask our experts any questions you may have.