This Month in your Garden – June

Could it be that June is everyone’s favourite month in the garden? Certainly summer is almost here, roses are starting to bloom, borders are awash with flowers, bees and butterflies abound. 

The garden is putting on a show and continues to amaze us with all nature has to offer. But even if you’re being rewarded for all your efforts in earlier months and just feel like sitting back and taking it all in we gardeners are thinking about next spring. Simply because there’s plenty to be done to prepare for next year’s even more impressive show. And lots to do now to add to your summer display.

The Lawn Care Guide – June

We’ll take a leaf out of last year’s journal’s lawn tips for June. That’s the beauty of keeping your own journal to refer back to, saving you time and effort. Much of what was said in May still applies. Mowing may be stepped up to twice a week if the grass is growing that fast. 

On the other hand, if the ground is dry and drought prolonged you may need to spike the lawn and give it a mulching cut, leave the collector off the garden tractor and switch to a mulching deck if you have one. Either way, leaving the cuttings on the lawn will help protect it.

Lawn Care Questions and Answers – June

Q. I have large brown patches, like circles, on my lawn. They are very unsightly. What can I do about them? 
Mrs. M. Jones, Virginia Water

A. If the weather has been hot and humid it could be that you have brown patch fungus. It is controllable. The regime of watering only once a week and thoroughly will help by letting the lawn dry out in between. You can apply a lawn fungus control product every other week for six weeks.

The Vegetable Plot – June

You should continue to feed plants in full growth as vegetables will benefit from one or two applications of fertiliser or weak liquid manure. Broad beans will produce their main crop and asparagus should be ready for harvesting. Make more successional sowings of lettuce, endive, radishes, mustard and cress, and turnips. You can sow chicory for forcing but check you have the one you want as there are two types. Pick peas when they produce mature pods. If you planted leeks in trenches in April start blanching them once they are established.

Top Tip for June

Fruit pests are about and spraying apple trees and other fruit may not be effective. Equally if youare at odds with eating sprayed fruit there is an alternative to dealing with codling moth and other pests. They lay their eggs on fruit and leaves and the eggs hatch into maggots. Pheromone traps ensnare the males, reducing fertilisation of the females who then can’t lay eggs. Simple! Buy traps online or from good garden centres.

The Big Glut Recipe – June

Chicken with prawns and asparagus

June is the month when there is a dazzling choice of vegetables in the garden and lots of dishes to enjoy with broad beans and peas, carrots and cauliflowers, potatoes and salads. Asparagus though, isn’t around for long in the garden. If you grow it, enjoy it, share it here with 4-6 people. Serve with some simple wild rice or potatoes or on its own.

Ingredients

• 25g/2oz butter
• 2.5kg/5lb chicken cut into 8 serving pieces or use thighs, legs as you wish
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp flour