VEGETABLE CARE IN JUNE 2009

BEETROOT
Continue to sow beetroot during June to avoid a glut of vegetables later in the season. Beetroot seedlings sown earlier in the season will be appearing soon and these should be thinned out. Beetroot seed takes about 15 days for the seedlings to appear, dependant on the weather conditions. Beware of birds eating the new seedlings and cover them with some netting if they are a particular problem in your area.
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing beetroot.

BROAD BEANS
As soon as the lower flowers start to set (roughly when the plant is a metre / 3 foot tall) pinch out the growing tips. Aphids feed on the growing tips so pinching them out will lessen the severity of any attack. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CABBAGE - SPRING
June is a good time to prepare the soil for sowing Spring Cabbage in July. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CARROTS
Continue to sow carrot seeds in June to ensure an even supply of this tasty vegetable. Carrots sown under cloche protection earlier in the year will be ready for harvest from June onwards. The smaller carrots are the tastiest. Continue to thin out carrot seedlings as the grow./ This is best done in the evening when the carrot fly is not usually about. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CHICORY / RADICCHIO
June is a good month to sow more chicory / radicchio seed outside for crisp salad leaves later in the year. If it's chicons you want from your chicory plant then continue to sow the seed indoors in pots. Chicory seed sown last month under cover can be planted in its final position from mid June onwards. If you sowed chicory in April, some may be ready for harvest late in June. 
Click here for instructions and advice on how to grow this versatile vegetable.

FRENCH BEANS
As your French Beans grow ensure they are tied to or clinging onto supports. Apply a mulch of well-rotted compost around, but not touching the plants. Water if conditions become dry. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing French Beans.

LETTUCE
Continue to sow lettuce during June to ensure a succession of this delicious vegetable. Lettuce sown under cloche protection earlier in the year will be ready for harvest from early-June onwards. Lettuce do not appreciate dry hot weather so ensure they are watered well if conditions become dry. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

ONIONS
Water all onions if conditions become dry and keep weeding. Spring onions can be sown up till the middle of June. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing onions.

PEAS
Peas sown up until mid-June will still have time to mature. Check the supports you have put in place for peas to make sure the winds have not damaged them. Keep peas well-watered in dry conditions. Peas sown earlier in the year with cloche protection should be easily ready for harvest in mid-June and from late June onwards peas sown without protection will also be ready for harvest. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing peas.

POTATOES - MAINCROP and NEW
By the middle of June, new potatoes should be ready for harvest. Continue to pinch out the flowers of all potatoes to ensure the largest possible crop. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing potatoes.

RADISH
Sow and harvest radish during June. The best position to sow radish will be sunny but not too hot. If the plants get too hot they will bolt and run to seed, so try to avoid placing them where they get the full sun in the early afternoon. Sowing radish near other larger vegetables may provide the shade radishes need in the middle of the day
Click here for easy to follow instructions on sowing radishes.

RHUBARB
Rhubarb should be in the middle of their harvesting season in June. Read the article link below to ensure you harvest them correctly to ensure a good crop for many years. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on growing rhubarb.

SPINACH
Spinach sown in May will be ready for harvest now. Don't let the leaves become large, tough and bitter tasting, harvest them when they are young. Smaller, very tender leaves v]can be washed and used in salads. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on how and when to harvest spinach.

TOMATOES
Tie tomato plants into their supports as they grow. Leave some room in the tie for later growth. Keep tomatoes watered if conditions become dry. Tomatoes in particular, suffer if they have an irregular water supply. Towards the end of June start to rub off the side shoots of cordon (not bush) varieities. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions on tomatoes.

FRUIT AND HERB CARE IN JUNE 2009

STRAWBERRIES
As the fruits begin to swell lay straw or black plastic beneath them to keep them off damp soil. Beware of birds at this time of year and protect ripening strawberries with netting. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

RASPBERRIES
If you had disease problems with your raspberries last year, early June is a good time to spray with cooper fungicide and derris. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

PLUM TREES
Plum Trees can be infected with Silver leaf disease if they are pruned at the wrong time of the year. June is definitely a good time to prune your plum tree. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

APPLE TREES
Apple trees often produce too much fruit which is of poor quality. June is the time to thin out fruit which has set, to an acceptable number 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

BLACKCURRANTS
Blackcurrants really appreciate a mulch of well-rotted compost in June. It will give them the nutrients they need and conserve moisture. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

MINT
Mint flowers should be removed as soon as they appear throughout the summer. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

SAGE
It's OK to harvest sage from April right through to the end of October. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

CHIVES
Chives appreciate frequent harvesting right up until the end of October. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

TARRAGON
It's OK to harvest tarragon from April right through to the end of October. 
Click here for easy to follow instructions.

GARDEN PLANT CARE IN JUNE 2009

 

This month the spotlight is on
CEANOTHUS
May and June are the top months for Ceanothus. It is an evergreen or deciduous shrub or small tree. They flower either in late spring or mid to late summer depending on the variety. They are often called California Lilacs because the flowers of some varieties are similar to the Lilac Tree (syringa), and ceanothus do originate form California.

The flowers are most noted for the varieties which produce masses of deep blue flowers. But they also come with pink or white flowers. Quick growing, Ceanothus are great shrubs for filling gaps in a few years. We highly recommend this beautiful shrub.

Ceanothus are frost hardy but not a deep frost. However, if they are given a warm, sheltered and sunny position they will produce a magnificent flower display and lovely glossy deep green leaves.

Most Ceanothus are evergreen and only require pruning to keep them to shape. The best time to prune them is soon after flowering. Ceanothus will not produce shoots from old wood so never prune back to old wood. 
Click here for lots of information and pictures on Ceanothus.

GARDENACTION ADDRESS:
1 Gaydon Hill Farm Cottage, Gaydon, Warwick CV35 0HQ

This Month's Recipe

Chicken Kebab Spirals

Barbecue time is fast approaching and these Chicken Kebab Spirals make the ideal barbecue food.

These chicken kebab spirals are really quick but give a very unusual and tasty result. Strips of chicken spiralled round tasty bacon, brought to life with a layer of tomato paste. Great looking, great Italian taste.

They are great when cooked under the grill or over a barbecue. 
Click here for this delicious recipe.

UNUSUAL

The Romans were enamoured with broccoli. Pliny the Elder, an Italian naturalist and writer, 23 to 79, tells us the Romans grew and enjoyed broccoli during the first century.

The vegetable became a standard favorite in Rome where the variety called Calabrese was developed. This same Calabrese is the most common variety still eaten in the United States today. Before the Calabrese variety was cultivated, most Romans were eating purple sprouting broccoli that turned green when cooked.

Roman Emperor Tiberius, 14 BCE to 37 BCE, had a son named Drusius who took his love of broccoli to excess. Excluding all other foods, he gorged on broccoli for an entire month. When his urine turned bright green and his father scolded him severely for "living precariously," Drusius finally abandoned his beloved broccoli.

Roman farmers called broccoli "the five green fingers of Jupiter".