Summer Gardening: June Garden Checklist Zones 1-3

June brings warmer days, rewarding late spring and early summer blooms, and the start of planting time in the June garden for zones 1-3.

The wait has been long, but you can finally begin planting seeds outside, and as the month goes on, begin adding tender vegetables and annuals to the landscape. June is the best time to put all of your chilly-day dreams to work outdoors.

If you aren’t sure what you should be doing in the garden this month, check out our June Garden Checklist Zones 1-3 for a robust list of to-dos that can easily be turned into ta-das!

Planning Your June Garden

June keeps gardeners quite busy with establishing gardens, planting, watering, and even some harvesting in zones 1-3. Planning and setting goals for your garden should always be included in your monthly plans. Your garden journal can be your best friend when it comes to planning, creating, and maintaining your gardens.

Here are some things to make a note of as June parades in.

• Check with your local extension office for a soil test if you haven’t done so already. Ask them any questions and consult with the experts to determine ideal planting times for your county. Ask any questions that you have pondered in your garden journal. The experts can help you overcome some previous obstacles and help ensure a successful garden season.
• What are you planting this season? As you dream of your future harvests, think about what you will be growing and do some research on recipes, canning procedures, supplies, and jot down ideas on what you will do with your fruits and vegetables once picking time arrives.
• Garden centers and nurseries are brimming with plants, containers, and everything garden-related. Do you have anything on your wish list? Keep a garden shopping list in your garden journal and jot down any supplies you still need at the garden center.
• As planting season begins, think about how you will irrigate your gardens. Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, sprinklers, hose sprayers, and a few strategically placed watering cans should be planned for.
• Walk around and assess what pests present themselves in your yard right now, and note any traps or companion planting options that can help you combat them.
• Ensure that your garden has the flowering plants it needs to attract beneficial pollinators and predatory insects to the garden.
• Use your sketched-out garden design plans and dream boards to figure out where your newly acquired plants and seedlings will go.
• Decide what you still need to fill gaps in your garden. This is best to do before you head to the store, so you know what you are looking for.

How to Prepare & Maintain Your June Garden

By the time June rolls around, hopefully, your gardens are prepped and ready to go so that you can plan what plants you want to fill the space. If not, there is no time like the present to complete those tasks.

Here are some housekeeping items on the June Garden Checklist Zones 1-3 that will get your gardens in tip-top shape and boost your spring gardens.

• Make support structures or cages for peas, cucumbers, beans, or tomatoes.
• Remove cold winter protection from outdoor winter garden vegetables.
• Protect any ripening berries from birds and chipmunks with netting.
• Identify pests in the garden. Proactively set out sticky traps to catch common insect pests like whiteflies, aphids, leaf miners, and thrips.
• Weeds can really take over a garden in June, and they propagate very quickly! If you don’t get a handle on them early, they will seed themselves and proliferate. Pull up early weeds before they establish themselves or use organic weed control methods to eliminate them.
• Add water to your compost heap so it will heat up and break down materials more efficiently.
• If you planned to use a drip irrigation system, ensure that hoses are installed and functioning properly.
• Divide and transplant perennials that have overtaken their space in the garden beds. It’s a great way to start off new garden beds.
• Assess if your spring bulbs will need dividing. Digging up and division of bulbs should only be done after the foliage has withered and browned.
• Plant your summer flowering bulbs and dry root plantings.
• Once the soil warms and tender veggies have been hardened off, support your tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants as you plant them in the ground or raised bed.
• It’s time to assemble your annual planters! Wash out your planters and containers and fill them with premium potting soil before planting. Consider varying heights of plants by adding tall spikey plants, colorful perpetual bloomers, trailing varieties, and varying leaf textures.
• Spread organic fertilizer around shrubs and perennials. Be sure to use an organic fertilizer to treat the soil and microbial life rather than just the plants.
• Add compost and fertilize your fruit trees.
• Scour the yard for any standing water and dump it so that mosquitoes won’t have an opportunity to lay their eggs. This is the time of the year when they can really multiply and make for an itchy and unpleasant summer yard.

Pruning the Summer Garden

• Prune any spring-flowering shrubs after they have finished blooming in your June garden. This needs to be done by mid-summer when the shrubs will set their buds for the following spring.
• Do a hard pruning of overgrown shrubs.
• Pull out any partially dead shrubs or do a hard prune in an attempt to rejuvenate the plant.
• Thin out any fruit on fruit trees so that fruits are six inches apart to bolster your future harvest.
• Cut back spring ground covers like carpet phlox after they have finished blooming.
• Check plants regularly for signs of pests and disease. Prune damaged limbs and dead portions of shrubs.

Mulching & Amending Your June Garden

Mulching your garden and amending your soil can be the difference between a high-performing garden and an average one. Just as mulch insulated your garden beds over the winter and early spring, it will keep your plant roots cool as the temperatures begin to heat up.

Adding a couple of inches of mulch to your garden beds can also help stomp out reseeding weeds and regulate moisture as the sun’s rays intensify. It also will help keep your soil from eroding during bouts of heavy rain.

Once your soil test results are in, add compost and any other necessary organic soil amendments to help build healthier soil. Support microbial life by using organic fertilizers and mulches like fish fertilizer and organic matter.

Take Care of the Wildlife in Your Yard

Keep your local wildlife happy throughout June. Invite birds to your backyard and create a wildlife habitat that can significantly help control the pest population and protect your plants.

• Fill up some bird feeders or hang some suet and watch the array of birds that flock to the feast.
• Add a hummingbird feeder to your June Garden!
• Do a thorough cleaning of bird feeders and birdbaths.
• Fill birdbaths with clean water.
• Add a birdhouse or two to help provide a safe new home for nesting.

Indoor Garden Planting

Check with your local extension office for your region’s last frost date and consult with them on what to plant and when.

While most zones are finished with indoor sowing by the time June rolls around, for the June Garden Checklist Zones 1-3, you can continue to sow seeds indoors for:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Okra
• Tomatoes
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Watermelons

• Squash
• Cabbage
• Kohlrabi
• Cauliflower
• Kale

Outdoor June Garden Planting

June is planting time for those in Zones 1-3.  As always, check with your local extension center for the best planting times in your area. Plant your dry root plants in the ground if you haven’t done so already. Once you have prepped soil with amendments and weeds have been pulled, you can start sowing some seeds outdoors.

Sow vegetables such as:

• Beets
• Peas
• Beans
• Corn
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Spinach

• Swiss Chard
• Potatoes
• Squash
• Melons
• Cucumbers
• Mexican Sour Gherkins

Additionally, toward the middle to end of June, you can begin to harden off tender vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, and more. Place them outdoors gradually in a protected location for at least one week before transplanting them outdoors.

Always pay close attention to the forecast, as even late spring and early summer weather for those in Zones 1-3 can be unpredictable. Be prepared with row covers or protective plant domes if erratic weather is predicted. Always check with your local extension office before finalizing your planting schedule for the best planting time for your county.

Harvesting in Zones 1-3

It’s time to begin enjoying some of the fruits of your labor on the June Garden Checklist Zones 1-3! Enjoy this first wave of harvest as your latest seedlings are being hardened off for planting or seeded in your garden.

• If you’ve planted asparagus in past years, this crop should be ready for you to harvest and enjoy.
• Harvest your protected spring crop of lettuce, radishes, and spinach. Sow a succession crop of these rapid growers after harvest.

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