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June Gardening Tips

Plant

Still time to plant summer vegetables. Nurseries have a variety of transplants: artichokes, beans, beets, carrots, chayote, eggplant, melons, okra, onions, parsnips, peppers, pumpkins, radishes, squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes and watermelon. T
Plant summer annuals: alyssum, amaranthus, balsam, celosia, dahlia, dianthus, gloriosa daisy, lobelia, marigold, nierembergia, petunia, phlox, portalaca, salvia, sunflowers, tuberose, verbena, vinca and zinnia.
Plant bougainvillea, hibiscus and other subtropical shrubs and vines.
Plant tropical fruit trees like banana, jaboticaba, lychee, mango and star fruit in frost-free areas of the state.

Feed & Fertilize

Feed indoor plants monthly to aid the growth of leaves and roots.
Mulch vegetable seedlings, berries, asparagus and rhubarb with compost, and feed with organic fertilizers. Soil organisms that thrive in warm weather will make nutrients available to plants without burning them.
Fertilize fuchsias and tuberose begonias with Neptune's Harvest or Kiwi Magic. Do so throughout the hot months.
Fertilize citrus, tropicals and subtropicals.
Feed roses with Whitney Farms Life Links Rose Food or Dr. Earth Rose Food. This will double the nutrient uptake capability of rose roots. An application of Worm Gold Plus should be done at this time if you did not apply it last month.
Deep-water everything in your garden. The summer heat can be intense for your plants. Be careful not to over water natives or drought-resistant plants. Watering melons, tomatoes and cucumbers deeply ever five to seven days will bring larger crops. Deep-watering will help prevent leaf drop on evergreen trees during the summer heat.
Lightly feed warm-season lawns with organic lawn foods that will not burn in the summer heat.

Prune/Trim/Clean

Trim winter and spring flowering vines (especially wisteria), bushes, trees, groundcovers after they complete their bloom cycle.
Remove foliage from spring bulbs only after it has dried. Plants use green leaves to store up nutrients for next year's flowers.
Clean up fallen fruit, vegetable and flowers regularly as they can play host to pests such as worms, borers and other larvae.
Deadhead (remove) faded flowers to encourage repeat blooming.
Vigorously was conifer foliage to deter insect infestations.
Stake tall, floppy annuals and perennials.
If lawn is sparse, prune and thin major shade trees nearby to allow more sunlight to reach the grass.