Laidback Gardening: What to Do in June?

Like the cycle of the seasons, each month brings its own set of transitions for gardeners. For many, May marks the transition from preparation to planting, while June heralds the start of garden maintenance.

Well, that’s in theory. But in reality, the weather doesn’t always cooperate: many are still waiting to plant or sow, whether in the vegetable garden or in the window boxes. And that’s just fine. There’s no official date for planting the garden. We’ll just go with the flow!

But one thing is certain: in June, everything grows like mad! With the heat and longer days, plants are growing before our eyes, flowers are blooming, the first harvests are appearing… and everything seems to demand our attention at once. The challenge? Finding the balance between keeping up with nature’s frenetic pace… and not losing our sanity (or our good mood) in the process.

June therefore marks the start of regular maintenance. Gone are the bursts of creativity: now it’s time to weed, water and keep an eye on things. Maintenance becomes our best ally against disease, pests… and chaos. For me, the Fête nationale du Québec weekend or Canada Day the following week, always marks the start of the holidays: school holidays, work holidays, but also… gardening holidays! A few simple steps now can save a lot of work in July.

And despite all that, don’t forget to enjoy yourself. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and evenings in the garden become magical moments. Take the time to observe, relax, and—as always—spend time outdoors with those you love. Your garden will never be perfect… and that’s a good thing. It means it’s alive!

Vegetable Garden and Seedlings

1. Sowing and transplanting cold-sensitive plants: Wait before sowing or planting cold-sensitive plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, begonias, impatiens, etc. in the open ground, as long as night-time temperatures regularly do not exceed 10°C (50°F). If you have already planted cold-sensitive plants, remember to cover them at night if colder temperatures are forecast.
2. Hardening off seedlings: Gradually acclimatize the plants to outdoor conditions (UV rays, wind, rain, temperature variations) over a period of 7 to 10 days. Start by placing them in the shade, then in partial shade, and finally in direct sunlight, while monitoring nighttime temperatures.
3. Protecting plants in the event of a drop in temperature: Despite all our precautions, an unexpected frost or drop in temperature can jeopardize our beautiful work. Always keep floating blankets, plastic sheeting, tarpaulins or even blankets on hand to be ready when the mercury drops with only a few hours’ notice.
4. Thin out seedlings: when thinning, collect edible young shoots such as lettuce, onion, cabbage, and Swiss chard—your first harvest!
5. Mulch in the vegetable garden: Use mulch around vegetables to control weeds and maintain stable moisture.
6. Be patient, the first squash flowers are male: The first flowers of Cucurbitaceae (squash, cucumbers and melons) are exclusively male. Wait a little before you see the female flowers appear, the ones that will produce fruit.
7. Support your tomatoes: Tie tomato stems to their stakes as they grow. For tomatoes grown in cages, simply return any protruding stems to the inside of the cage.
8. Sow again after each harvest: Sow successive seedlings of fast-growing vegetables and herbs (radishes, lettuce, spinach, coriander, etc.) in the spaces freed up after harvesting.
9. Fertilize your container plants: Remember that container plants require more fertilizer than outdoor plants. I prefer slow-dissolving fertilizers to water-soluble ones. One or two applications during the summer are sufficient.
10. Install insect netting to prevent infestations: Protect your crops right from the start by installing insect netting on your most vulnerable vegetables (cabbages, carrots, squash, etc.). This simple gesture prevents many insects from laying their eggs directly on the plants, reducing damage without having to intervene later.

Ornamental Garden

1. Prune your shrubs after flowering: If a spring-flowering shrub (lilac, seringat, etc.) needs pruning, the best time to do it is within two weeks of the end of flowering. It’s not compulsory, just a good time to do it if necessary.
2. Postpone hedge trimming: Trimming cedars in June can disturb brooding or destroy nests, as many native birds nest in conifers at this time. Wait until August instead.
3. Remove unwanted suckers from the base of trees and shrubs: Remove suckers that appear at the base of shrubs and trees (lilac, sumac, etc.), if you don’t want them to spread. You can also remove suckering plants and replace them with low-maintenance shrubs.
4. Cut bulb leaves once they turn yellow: When the leaves of bulbs (tulips, narcissi, hyacinths, etc.) turn yellow, you can remove them.
5. Stake leaning perennials: Install stakes for large perennials that are likely to lean, or replace them with perennials that have a backbone!
6. Cut off wilted flowers… or leave them for the birds: Remove wilted flowers from perennials or leave them where they are. Many will produce seeds that will feed the birds.

Houseplants

1. Clean houseplants outdoors: For those who prefer not to take their houseplants outdoors during the summer, an occasional rain bath, or hose down, is still advisable to clean foliage, remove contaminants that clog stomata, and reduce insect infestations. However, they should not be left in direct sunlight to prevent burning of leaves unaccustomed to bright light. Wait for a day when the temperature is above 15°C.
2. Get your houseplants out for the summer: Your houseplants will benefit greatly from a summer outdoors. However, they need to be acclimatized to outdoor conditions. Wait until night-time temperatures stay above 15°C (59°F). Then place your plants 3 or 4 days in the shade and 3 or 4 days in semi-shade before exposing them to the sun.
3. Protect your houseplants from direct sunlight: Most houseplants suffer more from lack of light than from excess, even so-called shade plants, which often prefer abundant light. Damage caused by excess light, often due to overheating, occurs mainly near south or west windows or in greenhouses, mainly in spring and summer. In winter, almost all plants tolerate full sun. Overheating behind glass can reach 60°C (140°F), affecting even the most tolerant plants. To limit the effects, plants can be moved away from windows, light filtered, shaded from the outside or placed behind protective plants.

Compost

1. Give your compost a gentle wake-up call: turn it over, mix in a few fresh ingredients and a handful of garden soil to kick-start biological activity!
2. Alternate green and brown materials: For a balanced compost, alternate nitrogen-rich materials (kitchen scraps, fresh grass, seedless weeds) with carbon-rich materials (dead leaves, newspaper, shredded cardboard). This promotes rapid, odorless decomposition.
3. Keep your compost moist, but not soggy: In the heat of June, compost can dry out quickly. Water it lightly if the material becomes too dry – it needs the texture of a wrung-out sponge to decompose properly.
4. Turn your compost: Turn your compost every two weeks to speed up production.

Lawn and Flower Meadow

1. Start mowing again: If you followed the advice not to mow the lawn in May, to preserve flowers for bees, start mowing when flowering is over! In some areas, flowering starts later than in other places. Here, it’s more like “No Mow May-June”.
2. Fill in bald spots: June is still a good time to reseed sparse areas. Use a low-maintenance seed mix suited to your soil type and sunlight conditions.
3. Mow in sections to protect biodiversity: If you like to observe insects in your lawn, try selective mowing: leave certain flowering areas untouched for a few days, then alternate. It’s a great way to combine aesthetics and ecology.
4. Sow your flower meadow: June is an excellent time to sow a flower meadow. The soil is now well warmed up and the spring rains help germination. If you haven’t already done so, weed the areas to be sown, loosen the soil, level it slightly… then let the magic happen!

Watering

1. Keep an eye on watering, especially in hot weather: In the vegetable garden, check the condition of the soil and water well when it starts to dry out. The hotter the weather, the more frequently you need to water. Soil in window boxes dries out even more quickly, requiring extra attention. I love my drip irrigation system.
2. Water new plantings regularly: For new plantings of perennials, shrubs or trees, it’s important to water regularly for the first year, sometimes more for larger trees. Why not install an automatic watering system with a soaker hose?
3. Avoid wetting foliage to prevent disease: To prevent foliar disease, try watering your plants without wetting their foliage. Oozing hoses water at ground level!
4. When watering, moisten the entire root zone of the plant. Slow watering once a week is much more beneficial than fast, shallow watering, even if repeated daily.
5. Water early in the morning to save water: If municipal watering restrictions allow, water early in the morning: this method is more efficient and uses less water than watering at the end of the day.
6. Mulch to reduce watering needs: A layer of organic mulch (shredded leaves, straw, grass clippings, RCW) reduces evaporation, keeps the soil cool and reduces the need for watering.

Parasites

1. Weed as soon as possible and apply mulch: Weeds grow quickly in June: weed whenever you see them and apply mulch to discourage their return.
2. Cut weeds low to the ground to exhaust them: If you regularly cut weeds to the ground, they will become exhausted and eventually disappear. This causes less damage to the soil than weeding.
3. Use cleaning vinegar to weed between pavers: One or two sprays with a cleaning vinegar solution (more concentrated than white kitchen vinegar) can eliminate weeds growing between pavers.
4. Watch out for pests and act quickly: Watch out for pests (cutworms, aphids, slugs, cabbage worms, etc.) and act quickly. Often, they can be dropped into a bowl of soapy water. Alternatively, spray the plant with an insecticidal soap solution.
5. Protect your plants from slugs with tried-and-tested methods: In June, slugs are very active. Use wildlife-friendly baits, or surround sensitive plants with dry barriers such as diatomaceous earth. Avoid eggshells and beer, which are not very effective.
6. Spray leaves with baking soda to prevent powdery mildew: To prevent leaf diseases, spray the leaves of vegetables prone to powdery mildew (squash, cucumbers, beans, eggplant, peas, turnips, etc.) with a solution of 1 liter of water, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. insecticidal soap.
7. Red apple maggot traps: To reduce apple maggot attacks, set a red ball-shaped sticky trap in the tree as soon as the first green fruit is visible.
8. Plant herbs to repel insects: Certain herbs such as basil, mint, lavender and chives can help repel certain insect pests thanks to their powerful aromas. By planting them close to your sensitive crops, you can reduce infestations.

Wildlife

1. Install a watering spot: as soon as temperatures remain above zero during the day, you can install a shallow bird bath to offer water to winged visitors.
2. Clean your bird bath regularly: Rinse the bird bath weekly (or daily in hot weather) with a good jet of water. Once a month, clean it thoroughly with a vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to 9 parts water) and a brush. Avoid soap: it can damage the birds’ plumage.
3. Welcome toads, your allies in the garden: Toads devour slugs, cutworms, Japanese beetles and other undesirables. To attract them, offer them cool, shady shelter (upside-down clay pots, piles of stones), avoid pesticides, keep a corner of the garden wild and install a calm waterhole for breeding.
4. Protect birds from cats: To protect garden birds, attach a bell or colored collar to your cat’s collar. Place feeders more than 2.5 m from the ground, limit access to the ground beneath them, and consider an outdoor enclosure (catio). Every little bit helps!