Get It Growing: It’s June in the garden

It's June in the Pacific Northwest garden and if the soil didn't warm up or dry up enough in May to play in the soil, now is the time!

Vegetable garden

Transplant herbs and warm-season vegetable starts including basil, tomatoes, and peppers; place basil and tomatoes in the warmest spot with full sun exposure. Sow cucumbers, green beans and squash seeds to germinate in the warming soil. For the best result, cover plants at night if temperatures threaten to fall below 50 degrees. After all, this is the Pacific Northwest.

Pull out lettuce or other cool season crops that may have bolted. Replant replacement crops utilizing a cooler area of the garden for the summer.

Keep the vegetable garden watered. Water needs in the vegetable garden will change all season with more water required as the days become longer and warmer. Raised beds and windy conditions also affect the need for water. Automatic watering systems are great but manually check the vegetable garden often.

Avoid diseases by spacing tomatoes properly and support plants using stakes, cages or trellises for good air circulation.

Watch for leaf miners on beets, chard and spinach; remove and discard infested leaves. Regularly handpick and discard caterpillars found on leaves to avoid serious damage.

Trees and shrubs

Plant trees and shrubs soon. Early spring and late fall with the benefit of more rainfall are the best times to plant trees and shrubs. However, June is not necessarily too late! Just be aware, all new plantings will require regular deep watering for at least the first year, especially during the dry summer (including plants touted as drought resistant). Resist the urge to plant during heat dome events or during extremely windy conditions.

Flowers

Plant Annuals, they make a great show and add a welcome pop of color while waiting for those late summer perennials and bulbs to bloom.

Enjoy June colors and scents but trim back perennials after blooming to keep them neat and encourage more blooms.

Remove foliage from spring-flowering bulbs after they have died back. If needed, divide spring-flowering bulbs and replant or store until fall. Continue to plant dahlias, begonias and gladioli.

Check roses for mildew and black spot; remove and discard affected leaves; do not compost diseased plant parts.

Plant fall-blooming perennials and bulbs such as Star of Bethlehem, asters, chrysanthemums, autumn crocus and hardy cyclamen.

Water

Evaluate your watering system. Warmer days means it's time to evaluate and inspect the irrigation system. Drip irrigation of some type is a great method of watering. Drip will get more water to the root zone and minimize evaporation. It also keeps the plant foliage dry reducing the chance of spreading pathogens.

A drip type system does not need to be elaborate. Well placed soaker hoses with a simple manual timer on the faucet will get the water where it is needed. The timer is essential to avoid costly over-watering mistakes.

For most plants (see separate vegetable advice above), water deeply but infrequently, to encourage roots to go deeper. Even established plants that may survive without water will perform better and stay healthy with supplemental water during long periods without rain.

Conserve soil moisture by adding 2-3 inches of mulch to the garden beds and around trees and shrubs (keeping mulch a few inches away from the trunk). Containers and hanging baskets will also benefit from mulch but still may need more frequent, often daily, water.

Pests

Attempt to identify any bugs that may be pests before taking action. Most bugs are beneficial to the garden! That darting little wasp may be an efficient pollinator or bad bug predator. If a pest problem becomes bad enough to damage plants, apply any treatment carefully and always follow directions.

Remember, if you kill a beneficial insect, you inherit its work.

Susan Kalmar is a WSU Master Gardener volunteer.