What To Plant In June

Are you wondering what to plant in June? Some of the seeds you can plant are beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, peas, summer squash, and melons. I’m so excited to share this post with your today. I really hope you have started a garden no matter how big or how small. If we can produce our own food or at least part of it, we can be just that much more self-sufficient. Be sure and buy really good seeds. This is where I buy my seeds: SeedNow

USDA Hardiness Zone

Be sure and check out your hardiness zone for the best time to plant. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Amend The Soil

Please remember to amend your soil if it needs it. Here are a few of the items I use in my garden when needed.

Azomite Micronized Bag, 44 lb

FibreDust Coco Coir Block

Unco Industries Wiggle Worm Soil Builder Earthworm Castings Organic Fertilizer, 15-Pound

Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care Organic Bone Meal, 3 lb.

Espoma VM8 8-Quart Organic Vermiculite

What Does The Term pH Level Mean

Are you wondering what the term pH level is when gardening? Each plant prefers a different level of acidity to grow the very best harvest. The level of acidity desired varies between each plant. Therefore, you can adjust the pH of your soil by adding lime or sulfur to bring it up or down depending on what your soil needs. You can have your soil tested, possibly by your state extension service, or try and do it your self with a soil tester. pH Tester

What To Plant In June

Beans

This is one of my favorite vegetables to grow. When our girls were growing up, we grew a lot of green beans. We canned bushels of them in our pressure cooker. They taste so good when they are freshly picked. I only grew bush beans, but you can plant pole beans if you have a way to support them up off the ground. Bush beans grow about 2 feet tall and the pole up to 10 feet tall. Bush beans are ready to pick about 50-55 days after planting. Pole beans take a bit longer, so plan on 55-65 days to harvest.

Please remember, if you can stagger the plantings every 2 weeks you can harvest green beans for weeks rather than all at once in one week.

Green beans like a good composted rich soil with rotted-manure. You plant the seeds 1-2 -inches deep and cover with soil. Space the seeds in rows about 6-8 inches apart. Water immediately and keep regularly watering them until they begin to sprout. After they begin sprouting they need 1 to 1.5 inches of water each week. They need full sun, so plant accordingly. They grow best when the air temperatures are between 65 to 85 degrees.

When the green beans are the size of a pencil they are ready. They can toughen up very quickly, so check on them often. You pick them by snapping them off at the vine.

pH level for Green Beans: 6.0 to 6.2

Beets

When prepping the soil for planting beet seeds, please do not neglect the needs of these red beauties. They prefer well-drained soil, never clay as I have here in Southern Utah, which is too heavy for the large roots to grow. If your soils are hard it may cause the beet to be tough and not be the best vegetable to cook.

The temperature must be at least 40 degrees F. (4 C) to plant the seeds in order for them to germinate. Beets do not like the hot weather and actually do poorly in the high temps. When the soil is ready, plant the seeds 1 to 2 inches apart and cover the seeds with soil and sprinkle with water. In about 7 to 14 days you will start to see a few sprouts. Thin as needed to keep the roots a good size for harvesting. You may want to plant some beet seeds every 2-3 weeks to have a good harvest longer.

You can plant them in partial shade, but make sure the soil depth is at least 6-8 inches to produce really good roots. The beets are ready to harvest in about 8 weeks. When ready to dig them, gently remove the soil around each root. The greens can be harvested when the beets are young and the root is small.

pH Level for Beets: 6.0-7.5

Carrots

Carrots like really smooth, loamy soil with nutrients added as shown above. I like to moisten the soil slightly and sprinkle the seeds over the soil and cover them with compost. Keep the rows about 3 inches apart and stagger planting the seeds over two to three weeks to have an abundant harvest for the season.

If you live where the heat is intense, be careful as carrots do not like to dry out. If you water them by hand for two to three weeks after planting the seeds you will soon see the little sprouts. This is when you will fertilize with some Miracle-Gro Fertilizer and thin the carrots as needed. Use mulch to cover them if you live where the summers are extremely hot.

pH level for Carrots: 5.5-7.0

Corn

Corn likes full sun, so plant accordingly. They need well-drained and fertile soil. Put 2-4 inches of compost and well-rotted manure so the soil will drain better. They need a soil ph level of 5.8 to 6.5. Add lime to raise the pH and add sulfur to lower it. Plant the seeds two weeks after the last frost in your area. It’s not recommended to plant seeds in the house and transplant, so I have always sowed them directly outside. I’ve heard of people planting them inside and transplanting them later, just giving you the heads up.

Plant the seeds 1.5 to 2-inches deep and 4-6 inches apart and in rows of three about 8-12 inches apart. You are better off to have several rows, as in three, over having one really long row. They will pollinate better from one plant to another. Please make sure the temperature of the soil is 60 degrees F. or above for successful germination. This is the Garden Thermometer I have to test my soil temperature. Fertilize often with nitrogen and phosphorus. 16-16-8 is a good choice for fertilizer. Put two pounds of 16-16-8 per 100 square feet of garden.

Once you see sprouts, corn needs an additional fertilizer of 46-0-0, so sprinkle some around those sprouts. Once the stalks have 8-10 leaves add a ratio of 1/2 pound of 46-0-0 fertilizer to 100 square feet of garden. When the silk starts developing add 1/4 pound of 46-0-0 fertilizer to 100 square feet of garden.

I recommend spacing a few seeds every week so you can have corn for several weeks. Sweet corn is different than other vegetables. One stalk only grows 3-4 cobs and it’s done. Yep, all that work for 3 or 4 cobs, but it’s worth it, I promise.

Corn: ph level of 5.8 to 6.5

Cucumbers

Cucumbers thrive when the weather is hot and they receive a lot of water. Plant them in full sun. If you planted seeds inside make sure you do not set your seedlings outside until the weather is in the 70-degree range. Check the last frost date and wait two weeks before planting the seedlings or seeds outside.

Decide if you want to grow bush cucumbers or cucumbers on the vine. I have always had better luck with bush cucumbers. Bush cucumbers work great in pots or in small gardens. This is why they do better in my raised gardens. I suggest you stagger when planting the seeds because you will have cucumbers bearing at different times, instead of all at the same time, a huge picking.

Cucumbers like compost and composted well-rotted manure. They need well-fertilized soil. Cucumbers grow fast and don’t depend on a lot of care or work to get them to thrive. When watering, try and keep the leaves dry, to keep leaf diseases forming. Male blooms show up first and drop off. No worries, within a week or two, a female flower will appear. If not, you may have to do hand pollination. You do this by removing the male blossom, leaving the center covered in the pollen. Use a “brush” to apply the pollen you collected to the center of the female flower.

Use metal cages for vines, the cucumbers will hang better on those because they will attach easier to the wires when growing. Plant two to three seeds about one-inch into the soil, and cover with soil. It the soil is moist and warm you will see sprouts within a few days. Plant the seeds or plants 36-60 inches apart. Bush cucumbers can be planted closer. Cucumbers grow start to finish in 50-70 days.

pH level for Cucumbers: 6.5 to 7.0

Melons

Melons are actually really easy to grow if you have three things, sunshine, warm weather and amended soil with well-rotted manure and organic compost. The soil temperature has to be above 70 degrees in order to germinate the seeds. I typically plant three seeds in each hole about 1-inch deep and space them 36-inches apart to allow for growth. Once the seeds grow to 3-4-inches, I choose between the three seeds that sprouted and discard the weakest of the three leaving two standing sprouts.

Melons need water because they are made up mostly of water, so never let them dry out. Be careful with the foliage because that’s where the sweetness comes from. Keep the garden weeded so you can keep an eye on the fruit when it starts to grow. To test if the fruit is ripe carefully lift the fruit and twist it, it will easily slip off the stem if ripe. SeedsNow

Late melons do not slip off the stem when ripe. Honeydews are ready to pick when the area where the melon rests on the ground turns from yellow to white.

Hales Best Cantaloupe: Day to maturity 85-100 days

Honey Rock Cantaloupe: Day to maturity 85-100 days

All Sweet Watermelon: Day to maturity 90 days

Sugar Baby Watermelon: Day to maturity 75 days

Tom Watson Watermelon: Day to maturity 85 days

Crimson Sweet Watermelon: Day to maturity 85 days

pH level for Melons: 6.0-6.5

Peas

Peas prefer cool weather, so March is a good month to plant your peas. You can plant them as soon as you can work your soil. If the soil temperatures are 10-20 degrees C or 50-70 degrees F that is best. The best time to sow peas are mid-February clear until the end of May. Of course, you can plant them again in July through mid-August, depending on how hot it is. If your soil is moist or damp do not soak your peas, you don’t need to. I have never soaked my peas.

Make sure your soil has the amendments it needs. I prefer bush peas, but that’s because those are the ones that seem the sweetest. My favorite ones are called Little Marvel. They only grow about two feet tall, and that works for me. They are sweet to the taste and can be harvested in about 60 days. You may want to trellis them. Plant the seeds about 4-6 inches apart and 1/2 to 1-inch deep.

pH level for Peas: 6.0-7.5

Summer Squash

Summer Squash: zucchini, crookneck, and straight-neck (harvested in the summer before they reach maturity)

Winter Squash: pumpkins, butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squash (harvested in the autumn months after they reach maturity)

When you plant the seeds, test the soil to make sure it is at least 60 degrees F. before sowing your seeds. They need full sun exposure. They need loamy soil rich in nutrients. The soil must drain properly. Plant the seeds in hills (2-3 seeds each) one-inch deep. Space them 2-3 feet apart. Thin as needed to produce the strongest plant. Use a cloche to keep the plants warm in case of cool weather. Mulch the plants to keep them moist and weed free. When the first blooms appear, fertilize the plants.

Water deeply at least one inch of water per week. The soil needs to be moist 4 inches down. If your blossom ends turn black and rot, then you have blossom rot. It’s usually caused by uneven moisture in the soil. It could be a calcium problem. Water must be consistent and frequent for the fruit to produce. If the fruits are misshapen they may not have received enough water or fertilizer. Check for fruit you can pick daily, they grow faster than you may think.

pH level for Squash: 5.5 to 6.8

Marigolds Attract Bees

Don’t forget to plant some Marigolds to attract bees. Marigolds by Linda

Final Word

I hope today I inspired you to plant a garden or sow some seeds in a pot or two. It’s all about what to plant in June today. The more experience we have with gardening, the more we learn about growing our own food. We must be self-reliant, save seeds, learn a skill whenever possible that we maybe don’t feel comfortable doing. Listen, we can do anything, I promise. We will learn together and be prepared more than ever before. May God bless this world, Linda

What To Plant In March by Linda

What To Plant In April by Linda

What To Plant In May by Linda

This is where I buy my garden seeds: SeedsNow