10 Fruit & Vegetables to Plant in June

Written by: - Gardening Expert
Planting vegetable seeds in June

What to Plant in June

With June signifying the start of summer, you’re now hopefully reaping the rewards of all of the fruits and vegetables that you planted earlier in the year.

However, although you may now be busy harvesting, this doesn’t mean that your sowing and planting season should be over. Instead, the warm days of June are ideal for getting so many different crops into the ground, many of which will begin to feed you in just a couple of months.

Here are 10 fruit & vegetables to plant in June to diversify your harvests and extend your growing season.

1. Florence Fennel

Florence Fennel

While Florence fennel can be sown earlier in the year under cover, June sowings can be done directly outdoors, making growing this crop a much lower-maintenance process. In fact, Florence fennel seems to do best when given the warmer months to grow in and the cooler months to mature in.

Pick a sunny spot in your garden with moist and fertile soil. Sow your seeds about 1.5cm deep, spacing each one 30cm apart. While many gardeners grow them in rows, others make the most of this plant’s decorative foliage by incorporating them into various other beds.

So long as your seeds are receiving temperatures between 15-21°C, they should germinate in a couple of weeks. Since the plant needs around 14 weeks to form a decent-sized bulb, you can expect to start harvesting your June-sown crop in late September.

2. Quinoa

Quinoa

A member of the spinach and beetroot family, quinoa is a delicious grain alternative that needs about 120 days to reach maturity. It also does best in warmer conditions, meaning that June sowings are ideal for meeting both of these requirements. Get some seeds in the ground now and you’ll be harvesting your plants in mid-September, just before things start to turn frosty.

So long as soil temperatures are at least 15°C, quinoa can be sown directly outside. Scatter your seeds onto moist, fertile soil and cover them over with a light, 1cm layer of compost. 

Quinoa seeds are quick to germinate – they usually only need a few days. Growth then slows down a fair bit once they’ve sprouted, but a good watering schedule until the plants reach maturity will help them to thrive. Giving each plant enough room to properly branch out will also ensure a hefty harvest – aim for about 45cm of space per plant.

3. Pak Choi

Pak choi

Pak choi is a cool-season crop, meaning that it can sometimes struggle with the summer heat. However, June sowings still do well when plants are provided with a cooling mulch and some shade from the sun, especially if they’re bolt-resistant varieties.

Pak choi can be sown directly outside. Simply plant each seed 2cm deep, spacing them 15-30cm apart. If you plan on harvesting baby pak choi, then your plants won’t need quite as much room as those that are being grown to full size.

The downside to sowing pak choi directly outside is slugs. If they’re a common sight in your garden, they could potentially decimate your pak choi seedlings – slugs absolutely love this leafy green. To prevent this from happening, start your seeds off in modules under cover, before transplanting them outside once they’re large enough and strong enough to defend themselves.

4. French Beans

French beans

French beans usually do very well when sown directly outside. However, because they’re quite a tender crop, you need to ensure that your last frost has passed before doing so, making June, July, and even August ideal months for sowing.

To do this, prepare your growing area and then mark out some grooves in the soil, about 5cm deep. Place your seeds in, spacing them about 10-15cm apart, before covering them back over. Keep in mind that the variety you choose to grow will have a significant impact on how much space each of your plants will need – dwarf varieties would be happy in a pot, while some climbing varieties reach 6ft in height and need extra room, along with a frame to clamber over.

So long as your soil temperature doesn’t get colder than 10°C, your French bean seeds should germinate in 1-2 weeks. Keep them weed-free and well-watered and you’ll start to see a steady supply of French beans in just 10-12 weeks!

5. Chicory

Chicory

There are two main forms of chicory; forcing and non-forcing. Forcing, meaning placing a bucket over the plant to keep it in darkness, is usually the most popular way to grow this vegetable, since it inhibits the color pigmentation that can give chicory a bitter flavour. However, whichever type of chicory you want to grow, June is the best time of year to sow your seeds.

Chicory seeds need a minimum temperature of 10°C to germinate, meaning that June sowings can usually be done directly outside. Sow your seeds around 1cm deep, spreading them out thinly. Each chicory plant will need between 15-30cm of space (depending on variety), so you’ll likely need to do some thinning out once your seedlings emerge.

This usually takes about two weeks, and then growth is pretty rapid after that. Give your plants the care that they need and you could be harvesting fresh chicory in just a couple of months’ time.

6. Mustard

Mustard leaves

Not only is mustard a fast-growing and low-maintenance plant, but it’s also a cool-season crop. This makes June a great time to sow some seeds, as the weather will be cooler once your plants start to mature in a few months’ time.

The easiest way to do this is by sowing your seeds directly outside. They have a high germination rate, which, when combined with warm June temperatures, means that direct-sown seeds usually do very well. However, don’t sow them too deeply – 1cm is all the depth that they need.

It’ll take about a week for your mustard seeds to germinate. Once they’re a few days old, you’ll need to thin them out so that each plant has about 15-20cm of space. Again, this depends on the variety that you’re growing, as well as on whether you’re planning on harvesting leaves, seeds, or both. 

7. Broccoli

Broccoli

We already covered purple sprouting broccoli in our May growing guide, but if you’d like to grow Calabrese broccoli, meaning those large green heads packed with tender florets, then June is a good time to do so. Your June sowings will provide you with a winter harvest, so long as you pick a variety that can tolerate your winter temperatures.

Since you need your broccoli plants to do a fair bit of growing before winter arrives, June sowings should be done directly outside. Thinly sow your seeds 2cm deep into well-draining soil. Firm the soil down after sowing and give your seeds some water, taking care not to disturb the soil while doing so.

So long as your seeds have a minimum temperature of 10°C, they should germinate in about a week. Wait until they’re about 6cm tall before thinning them out so that each plant has at least 45cm of space. The more room you give each plant, the larger its central head will be.

8. Sorrel

Sorrel

A fantastic addition to salads and often used as a spinach replacement in cooked dishes, sorrel is a perennial, meaning that you’ll only have to plant it once. That said, it needs to reach a certain size in order to survive the winter, making June your last chance to sow some sorrel seeds.

Sorrel seedlings are usually pretty robust (to the point where many refer to sorrel as a weed!), so while you can sow your seeds in modules if you’d prefer, they will likely do just as well when sown directly outdoors in June. Don’t do this too thickly – a thin scattering of seeds raked into the soil so that they’re sitting just below the surface will give you the best germination rate.

It can take anywhere between 3-14 days for sorrel seeds to germinate. Once they do, thin your seedlings out to give each one at least 30cm of room. The more space your plants have, the wider and lusher they’ll grow, although they won’t need quite as much room if your aim is to harvest baby leaves.

9. Basil

Basil leaves

Basil is a tender tropical herb that’s often grown year-round indoors. However, if you’d like to try your hand at growing a larger crop of basil outside, wait until temperatures are at least 15°C before sowing your seeds.

Since basil is a pretty delicate crop, most gardeners choose to grow this herb in containers, but it does well when grown in the ground too. Simply scatter your seeds over the top of moist soil and then cover them with a light layer of compost, about 0.5cm deep. The optimum germination temperature for basil is 21°C. If your climate is slightly cooler, you may want to cover your sown area until your seeds germinate, to give them some extra warmth.

It takes about 5-10 days for basil seeds to sprout. Once they do, thin your seedlings out. Some basil varieties need just 8cm of space between each plant, while others require 30cm, so check your seed packet to get this right.

10. Pumpkins

Pumpkin

While most gardeners sow pumpkin seeds in April or May, seeds sown in early June will quickly catch up thanks to the warmer temperatures and extra daylight hours. June sowings can also be done directly outside, so long as your last frost has passed.

The easiest way to sow pumpkin seeds is to create individual holes for each plant. Make these about 2.5cm deep and space each hole 1.8-2.5m apart – pumpkin plants need plenty of room to sprawl! Place two seeds into each hole, sitting them on their side to prevent them from rotting. Then, cover your planting holes back over with compost and place a cloche or a jar over each one for extra warmth.

Pumpkin seeds usually germinate in about 1-2 weeks – the warmer the temperature, the faster they’ll sprout. Give your plants a week or so to grow before pinching out the weaker seedling from each of your planting sites.

Summary

While most fruits and vegetables are planted in the spring, the bright days and warm temperatures of June mean that there are still plenty of crops that you could grow. From tender herbs and salad vegetables to hearty pumpkins and fennel bulbs, your early summer sowings could make your autumn and winter harvests so much more exciting!

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