Garden Hints for June

I hope that anyone who wanted to see my garden hints for June has managed to find them ok I am getting rather past it for the modern way but I just keep my fingers crossed.

When I started as a garden boy the Headman gave me a diary in which I was to write down everything I did. He did explain that it would not be there to tell me what to do any particular day, but would give me guidance as to the order in which to do things.

Vegetables

Make sure that your potatoes have been well earthed up so as to avoid those close to the surface going green. Runner and French beans can be planted along with sweet corn and any other plants that you have started in the greenhouse such as marrows and cucumbers. When hoeing around carrots if you can move some soil to cover the tops it will help avoid the green top that often occurs. Some early crops of broad beans, lettuce and such can be harvested; if the tips are removed with broad beans this can help clear small attacks of black fly.

If you are growing tomatoes in grow bags do be careful with the watering as it is easy to keep them too wet or too dry and irregular watering is often the cause of  blossom ends rot when you get a hard black part where the flower was on the fruit. 

The late frost in April may have damaged the foliage of your potatoes but hopefully by now they have recovered. If your garden or allotment is close to your house you can reduce any damage by spraying with cold water but it must be from a tub not from an inside tap.

Flowers

Annuals that were sown where they are to flower will need thinning to get the best from them. Any plants growing in containers or baskets will need careful watering and if you have not used slow release fertilizers will also need feeding.

Once sweet peas come into bloom they need to be picked as soon as they are out so as not to put a strain on the plant and stop other flowers forming.

Roses can benefit from a feed of high potash food which can be hoed into the surface. The foliage should be left as long as possible on spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils so as to build up the bulbs for next year. Please try and avoid tying the foliage in knots as this defeats the purpose for which nature put it there.

Sweet peas need to be kept cut so that seed does not form and stop the flowering, if you are growing them as cordons they will need frequent tying and tendrils removed. 

Lawns

Regular mowing with the blades not too low during May and June will give a good base to the lawn, a light feed of lawn fertilizer will keep the grass growing and help against moss. Do not however apply this in dry hot weather as you can burn the grass.

ts for June