June Gardening Check List & Tips

June Gardening Check List & Tips

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Vegetables

  • Plant your vegetable garden early in the month. Make sure to keep soil evenly moist to encourage germination.
  • Transplant warm season crops (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, beans) into the vegetable garden. Water in with diluted Fertilome Root Stimulator.
  • Remove Insulated plant protectors from around your tomatoes, peppers, etc. before the weather turns hot or plants get too big.
  • Give vegetables a side dressing of T&C Fruit & Flower Food. Tomatoes love Save-a-Tree. Corn likes higher nitrogen. Feed with T&C Premium Lawn Food or Ammonium Sulfate.
  • Use floating row covers or Dipel BT dust on cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower to rid vegetables of cabbage worms and root weevil.
  • Watch for tiny holes in radish and bean leaves. Flea beetles are most likely the problem. Spray with Fertilome Triple Action.
  • Hoe small weeds in the morning and let the warm afternoon sun dry them up.
  • Try to avoid wetting the leaves of your plants by using soaker hoses or drip irrigation. If you sprinkle irrigate do it in the morning. Moist leaves during the night can contribute to disease problems.
  • Harvest vegetables early in the morning when it is cool, especially lettuce, spinach, herbs, peas, and beans.

Flowers

  • Plant tender annuals such as marigolds, begonias, and impatiens.
  • “Dead-head” (pinch off the spent blooms) on perennials, annuals, and roses for longer flowering periods and more and larger blooms.
  • Stake your tall blooming flowers like gladiola, delphiniums, and peonies to keep the flowers upright and showy. Cages and grids can also be used.
  • Pinch back fall asters and mums to encourage compact growth and extra flowers.
  • Wait for foliage to yellow before removing foliage of tulips and other spring blooming bulbs.
  • Feed flowers monthly with T&C Fruit & Flower Food or Save-a-Tree, or semi monthly with Fertilome Water Soluble 20-20-20 (weekly for pots and hanging baskets).
  • Mulch flowerbeds with 1-2” of Soil Pep to reduce weeds and conserve moisture.
  • Spray bee balm, phlox, and columbine with Fertilome Systemic Fungicide to prevent powdery mildew.

Roses

  • Fertilize roses with Save-a-Tree or Fertilome Rose Food w/Systemic Insecticide.
  • Prevent rose diseases like powdery mildew and black spot from taking hold by spraying with Fertilome Systemic Fungicide before the problem appears.
  • If rose buds are deformed and fail to open you may have thrips. Bring sample by for diagnosis. Spray with Fertilome Triple Action or Bonide systemic Insecticide.

Fruit

  • Place bird netting over your fruit trees and berries to help keep birds and squirrels out of your fruit crops. In addition, Bird-B-Gone tape will help protect your fruit.
  • Fruit trees naturally drop some fruit, but you can improve your harvest by thinning smaller ones to leave six to eight inches between each. Keep the largest, healthiest fruit to grow bigger and reduce branch stress and breakage.

Lawns

  • Apply Step 2 (T&C Premium Lawn Food) if you didn’t do it in May.
  • Kill dandelions and other lawn weeds with Fertilome Weed Free Zone. Don’t spray if the temperature is likely to exceed 85 degrees that day.
  • Set your lawn mower blade high (2 – 3″) to encourage deeper drought-resistant roots. The longer grass will keep the ground cooler and require less water.
  • Water your lawn in the early morning while it is still cool. There will be less moisture loss to evaporation and less chance of disease.
  • Keep the blades of your mower sharp to avoid brown tips on grass blades.

Trees and Shrubs

  • Prune flowering shrubs (such as lilacs) when blooms fade.
  • Fertilize trees and shrubs with Save-A-Tree or T&C Tree & Shrub Food.
  • Be sure to protect your trees and shrubs from grass trimmers with a plastic trunk guard. Or encircle it with weed barrier fabric, and cover the fabric with bark mulch.
  • Watch for deformed leaves on honeylocust. Pod gall midge are common insects on these trees. Bonide Systemic Insecticide will help rid your trees of these pests.
  • If you suspect spider mites on any trees or shrubs you can do this simple test. Take a piece of white paper and shake the branch onto the paper and examine the paper to see if anything is moving.

Always read and follow label directions when using any garden chemical or fertilizer.

Got questions? Town & Country’s plant doctors are available during store hours to answer your gardening questions. For accurate diagnosis, please bring in a sample (preferred) or a picture of the problem.