June Gardening Calendar

Vegetables

• Weeks 1-2: Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season.
• Weeks 1-2: Plant pumpkins now to have Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.
• Weeks 1-2: As soon as cucumber and squash vines start to ‘run,’ begin spray treatments to control cucumber beetles and squash vine borers.
• Weeks 2-4: Set out transplants of Brussels sprouts started last month. These will mature for a fall harvest.
• Weeks 2-4: Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems make the most efficient use of water during dry times.
• Weeks 2-4: To minimize diseases, water with overhead irrigation early enough in the day to allow the foliage to dry before nightfall.
• Weeks 2-3: Start seedlings of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. These will provide transplants for the fall garden.
• Week 2: Stop harvesting asparagus when the spears become thin.
• Weeks 2-3: Control corn earworms. Apply several drops of mineral oil every 3 to 7 days once silks appear. Sprays of B.T. are also effective.

Lawns/Turfgrass

• Water turf as needed to prevent drought stress.
• Mow lawns frequently enough to remove no more than one-third the total height per mowing. There is no need to remove clippings unless excessive.
• Gradually increase the mowing height of zoysia lawns throughout the summer. By September, the mowing height should be 2 to 2.5 inches.
• Mow bluegrass at 2 to 3.5 inch height. Turfgrasses growing in shaded conditions should be mowed at the higher recommendations.
• Weeks 1-2: Zoysia can be fertilized now while actively growing. Do not exceed 2-3 pounds of actual nitrogen fertilizer per l000 sq. ft. per year.

• Week 1: Oriental fruit moths emerge. Most serious on peaches where first generation attacks growing tips. Shoots will wilt. These should be pruned out.
• Week 1: Thinning overloaded fruit trees will result in larger and healthier fruits at harvest time. Thinned fruits should be a hands-width apart.
• Weeks 2-3: Renovate strawberries after harvest. Mow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply a mulch for weed control.
• Weeks 2-3: Begin control for apple maggot flies. Red painted balls that have been coated with tanglefoot may be hung in apple trees to trap egg-laying females.

Ornamentals

• Week 1: Deadhead bulbs and spring flowering perennials as blossoms fade.
• Week 1: Early detection is essential for good control of vegetable pests. Learn to identify and distinguish between pests and beneficial predators.
• Week 1: Thin seedlings to proper spacings before plants crowd each other.

Miscellaneous

• When using any gas powered equipment, be sure to allow the engine a few minutes to cool before refilling empty fuel tanks.
• Weeks 3-4: A mailbox mounted on a nearby post makes a handy place to store and keep dry any small tools, seeds, labels, etc.