Harvesting

June is a great month to harvest your homegrown fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, gooseberries, potatoes, lettuces, and more are all ready to be picked.

• Strawberries: Protect your strawberries from birds with netting and pick them when they’re ripe.
• Potatoes: Dig up early potato varieties for a soft, sweet harvest.
• Gooseberries: Cover your gooseberry plants with netting to keep birds away.
• Lettuce: Pick your lettuce on a dry day and wash it thoroughly before eating.
• Other crops: You can also harvest carrots, parsnips, beetroot, beans, and sweetcorn in June.

Planting and Sowing

There’s still time to plant or sow a second batch of crops in June.

• French beans: Sow dwarf or climbing French beans directly into the soil.
• Lettuce: Start a new batch of lettuce by sowing seeds in a cool place or buying plug plants.
• Other crops: You can also sow salads, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, beans, and sweetcorn now.

Caring for Crops

• Tomatoes: Pinch out sideshoots to encourage fruit production.
• Apples and pears: Thin out fruits to get larger, fully-formed ones.
• Plants in containers: Water your plants regularly, especially in hot weather.
• Pest and disease control: Keep an eye out for pests and diseases and treat them accordingly.

Tips

• Recycle pots and trays when starting new crops.
• Check for local plant pot recycling schemes.
• Add a half-strength liquid plant food to your watering can when watering container plants.
• Sow cut-and-come-again lettuce leaves for a steady supply of greens.
• Check your seed packets for leftover seeds that you can sow now.