What to Plant in June

Vegetables to Sow and Plant in June

June is the month where succession sowing becomes the single most important activity in the vegetable garden. The big planting-out rush of May is largely over, and the focus shifts to keeping a steady pipeline of crops coming through. Sow little and often, harvest regularly, and your kitchen will never be short of fresh produce from now until autumn.

Succession Sowing

The key to a productive summer garden is succession sowing — planting small batches of the same crop every 2-3 weeks so you always have something reaching maturity. June is the ideal month to get into this rhythm.

Beetroot sown now will be ready as tender baby roots in 8-10 weeks. Sow seeds 2cm deep, 10cm apart in rows 30cm apart. The variety Boltardy is excellent for summer sowings as it resists bolting in warm weather. You can also harvest the young leaves as nutritious microgreens in salads.

Carrots — a June sowing is your main-crop for autumn and winter storage. Sow thinly, 1cm deep in rows 15-20cm apart. Thin seedlings to 5-7cm apart once they are large enough to handle. Cover rows with fine mesh or fleece to keep carrot root fly at bay — this pest is most active in June. Choose varieties like Autumn King or Chantenay Red Cored for late-season harvesting.

Lettuce benefits enormously from successional sowing. A row every 2-3 weeks means you always have fresh leaves at the perfect picking stage. Sow thinly, 1cm deep, in part shade during June — full sun in warm weather causes bolting (running to seed). Cut-and-come-again varieties like Salad Bowl and Lollo Rossa are ideal because you can harvest outer leaves repeatedly.

French beans — sow a second batch now to follow your May sowing. Plant seeds 5cm deep, 15cm apart in rows 45cm apart. Dwarf varieties like The Prince or Safari are excellent for small spaces and do not need supports. Climbing varieties produce more per square metre but need a sturdy framework.

Spring onions sown in June will be ready from August. Sow thinly in rows 10cm apart. They grow fast in warm soil and need very little attention beyond watering.

Turnips sown now produce tender roots in just 6-8 weeks. Sow 1.5cm deep, 15cm apart. Harvest them young (golf-ball size) when the flavour is sweet and mild, not woody.

Preparing new beds for succession sowing? Use our soil calculator to work out exactly how much topsoil you need.

Planting Out

While the mass transplanting frenzy of May is over, several important crops still go into the ground in June.

Leeks are one of the most important June plantings. They need a long growing season and benefit from deep planting to produce a long white stem. Make holes 15cm deep with a dibber, 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart. Drop a single seedling into each hole and water it in — do not backfill with soil, just let the water wash a little earth around the roots. The stem will swell to fill the hole naturally. Leeks planted now will be ready from October right through to March.

Celery needs rich, moisture-retentive soil and a position that does not dry out. Plant 45cm apart in a shallow trench enriched with plenty of compost. Water consistently throughout summer — celery that dries out becomes stringy and bitter. Self-blanching varieties are the easiest for most gardeners.

Celeriac follows the same requirements as celery — rich soil, consistent moisture, and 30cm spacing. Plant with the crown sitting just at soil level, not buried. It is slow-growing but incredibly rewarding, producing knobbly roots from October that are superb in soups, mash and gratins.

Sweetcorn — if you started seeds in pots in May, plant them out now in blocks (not rows) with 45cm between plants in each direction. Block planting is essential because sweetcorn is wind-pollinated, and closely spaced blocks ensure the pollen reaches the silks on every cob. Poorly pollinated sweetcorn gives you patchy, half-filled cobs.

In late areas and Scotland, runner beans and courgettes may only just be going outdoors now. The last frost in parts of Scotland can be as late as the first week of June. If you are in a late area, do not worry — these crops grow so fast in the long June days that they quickly catch up with earlier plantings further south.

Harvesting Early Crops

June brings the first real rewards of the growing season. After months of sowing, transplanting and nurturing, you finally get to eat what you have grown.

Broad beans sown in autumn or early spring are the first major harvest. Pick the pods when they are 7-8cm long and you can feel the beans inside but before the scar on each bean turns black (a black scar means the bean is past its best and will be starchy). Regular picking encourages the plant to produce more pods. Once the last pods are picked, cut the plants down but leave the roots in the soil — they fix nitrogen, which benefits the next crop.

Peas should be picked every 2-3 days once they start cropping. Feel the pods — harvest when the peas inside are rounded but the pod is still smooth and bright green. Leaving pods on the plant signals the plant to stop producing, so pick regularly to keep them coming. Mangetout and sugar snap varieties should be picked when the pods are flat and crisp.

Early potatoes are ready when the flowers appear, typically from mid-June. Gently scrape away the soil to check — if the tubers are the size of a large egg, they are ready. Harvest only what you need for the next few days, as new potatoes do not store well.

Courgettes planted out in May will start producing from late June. Check every 2 days and harvest at 15-20cm — they grow astonishingly fast in warm weather, and a courgette left for three days can turn into a marrow. Small, frequent harvests keep the plant producing all summer.

Radishes, lettuce, spinach and spring onions continue from earlier sowings. Keep picking and keep sowing for a constant supply.

Strawberries are at their absolute peak in June. Pick every other day for the sweetest, most fragrant fruit. Eat them the day you pick them — nothing compares to a sun-warmed strawberry straight from the garden.

Quick Wins for June

• Radishes — still the fastest crop, ready in just 4 weeks. Tuck them into gaps between slower-growing plants.
• Rocket — baby leaves in 3 weeks from a June sowing. Sow in part shade to slow bolting.
• French beans — sown from mid-June, cropping from August. One of the most productive summer crops per square metre.
• Baby beetroot leaves — sow beetroot thickly and harvest the thinnings as microgreens for salads within 3-4 weeks.
• Strawberries — already at peak flavour this month. Pick regularly and net against birds for the best harvest.

Flowers to Plant and Enjoy in June

June is when the garden reaches its first peak of the year. Borders are full, roses are in their first flush, and the long evenings make it the best month to simply sit and enjoy what you have created. But there is still plenty of work to do to keep the display going.

Deadheading and Maintenance

Roses are the stars of June, and deadheading spent blooms is the single most important task to keep them flowering. Cut back to the first outward-facing leaf with five leaflets — this encourages strong new growth and a second flush of flowers in late summer. Feed roses with a specialist rose fertiliser after the first flush to fuel repeat flowering.

Sweet peas must be picked daily or every other day. This is not a chore — it is the whole point. The more you cut, the more they flower. If you allow seed pods to form, the plant will stop producing blooms within a week. Cut long stems for the vase and deadhead any you cannot use.

Lupins — remove spent flower spikes as soon as they fade, cutting down to a side shoot. Many lupins will produce a second, smaller flush of flowers in late summer if deadheaded promptly.

Delphiniums are putting on their towering display this month. Stake tall varieties with individual canes and soft ties to prevent wind damage. After flowering, cut back the whole spike to ground level and feed — many varieties will produce a second flush in September.

Late Planting Opportunities

Dahlia tubers — this is your last chance to plant dahlias. Get them in the ground now and they will still flower from late July through to the first autumn frost. Plant tubers 10-15cm deep and stake tall varieties at planting time.

Gladioli — plant a final batch of corms now for flowers in September. This extends the season for these spectacular cut flowers.

Tender bedding — if you have any remaining tender bedding plants (petunias, geraniums, begonias, lobelia), get them planted out now. They will quickly establish in the warm June soil and fill gaps in borders and containers.

Biennials for next year — sow foxgloves, wallflowers, sweet William, honesty and Canterbury bells now. They will grow through summer, overwinter as rosettes, and flower next spring and early summer. This is forward planning at its best — a few minutes of sowing now gives you a stunning display in twelve months.

Fruit in June

Strawberries are the headline act of June. The harvest is at its peak and the flavour is incomparable to anything shop-bought. Pick every other day, choosing fully red, fragrant berries. Net your strawberry bed against birds — they will strip an entire crop overnight if given the chance. Remove runners as they appear, unless you want new plants — runners divert energy away from fruit production.

Apple fruitlets — after the natural "June drop" (when trees shed excess fruitlets in mid-June), thin remaining clusters to leave 1-2 fruits per cluster. This seems drastic, but it results in larger, better-quality apples at harvest time. Remove any misshapen or damaged fruitlets first.

Summer raspberries start cropping from late June. Pick when the berries pull away easily from the central plug — if you have to tug, they are not ready. Harvest every other day for the best flavour and to prevent fruit rotting on the cane.

Gooseberries are ready from mid-June. Thin fruits early in the month — pick every other berry while they are small and hard, and use them for cooking (gooseberry fool, crumbles, jam). Leave the remaining berries to grow larger and sweeten for eating fresh later in the month. Wear gloves — gooseberry thorns are vicious.

Regional Planting Adjustments

By June, regional differences are narrowing as summer weather reaches all parts of the UK. However, gardeners in the north and at altitude may still be a week or two behind southern gardens.

The key message for June across all regions: keep sowing, keep watering, and keep harvesting. The long days and warm soil mean crops grow faster now than at any other time of year.

Common June Planting Mistakes

1. Neglecting watering in warm spells. June can be surprisingly dry, and newly planted crops are especially vulnerable. Water deeply 2-3 times per week rather than lightly every day — deep watering encourages roots to grow downwards, making plants more drought-resistant. Water in the evening to reduce evaporation.
2. Not succession sowing. Planting everything at once gives you a glut followed by nothing. Sow small batches of beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radishes and French beans every 2-3 weeks for a continuous supply all summer and into autumn.
3. Letting courgettes grow too large. Check plants every 2 days and harvest at 15-20cm. A courgette left for even three days in warm weather can balloon into an oversized marrow. These giant fruits divert the plant's energy away from producing new courgettes, reducing your overall harvest.
4. Ignoring pest control. Slugs, aphids and caterpillars all peak in June. Check plants in the evening when slugs are most active. Use beer traps or nematode treatments for slugs, and blast aphids off plants with a strong jet of water. Inspect brassica leaves for cabbage white caterpillars and pick them off by hand.
5. Forgetting to harvest regularly. Picking broad beans, peas and courgettes frequently encourages the plants to produce more. Leave them unharvested and the plant receives a signal to stop cropping. Regular picking can double your total harvest over the season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to Buy Seeds and Plants in the UK

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Useful Gardening Tools

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