June Garden Chores & Tasks (PNW & Similar Zones)

A simple checklist for the June garden chores you can do in this summer month for fruits and vegetables, flowers, and general yard and landscaping tasks. Includes a handy printable checklist!

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June, ahhh. It's a lovely month - the garden is in full swing with so many flowers blooming and vegetables ripening, it's hard to pick a favorite.

Flowers

Do you think that cutting flowers and creating arrangements of them for the house considered a chore?

Well, probably not. But it's certainly on my list of to-dos since it's one of the reasons I grow flowers in the first place!

For the flower beds, even though I always hope to get most of the weeds under control by June, I'm usually still laying paper and mulch in an effort to control weeds for the rest of the season.

Vegetables

Most of the vegetable garden is planted and bursting with fresh new growth that hints at the harvest to come, with flowers and even small green fruit on the tomato plants and peppers.

It's a joy to walk through and see all the new growth and ripening fruits.

It's harvest time in for these edibles that were started in early spring:

• peas
• lettuce
• broccoli
• cabbage
• chard
• kale
• cauliflower

As well as perennials like rhubarb and strawberries. By the end of the month you may even have your first blueberries and blackberries.

Oh, it's good to be in the garden right about now, isn't it?

Fall Garden Prep

Though it may seem strange to think about right now, if you're interested in having a fall and overwintered garden, the end of June and early July are the time to start seeds and plant transplants.

To learn more about what to plant for fall and how, check out this article on Tips to Plan and Plant a Fall Vegetable Garden.

And for all the garden and yard, if it's not raining, then the watering cycle starts again and then it really starts feeling like summer!

I've created a handy checklist of the tasks listed in this article!

Grab this free printable by clicking the image below to open in a new window and then download, print, and add any of your own specific chores to the notes section:

PRO TIP: Add this page to your free Garden Notebook Journal!

June Garden Chores & Tasks

Vegetable & Fruit Garden

• You can plant any warm weather lovers like corn, peppers, zucchini and squash, as well as basil if you haven't already.
• Plant rows of bush beans, summer lettuce, and corn at intervals to spread out the harvest.
• Thin rows of beets, carrots, lettuce, and chard as needed.
• Keep tomatoes staked, pruning lower branches as needed to keep air flowing and discourage blights (this is the easiest way I've ever found to stake tomatoes). Also stake plants like peppers and brussels sprouts as needed.
• Hill up potatoes for a total of 2-3 times before letting mature using either soil or straw.
• For fall garden: sow seeds of plants like brussels sprouts, long-maturing cabbage, rutabagas and turnips (see this winter growing chart from Territorial Seed for a list of varieties to grow for fall and winter gardening - it's really comprehensive!)
• Monitor fruit trees for insects and disease, treating as needed by removing infested areas, fruit, and netting if possible.
• Thin apples, pears and peaches when fruit is about the size of a nickel.
• Train grapevines, pruning if needed.
• Harvest strawberries and other berries as they ripen.
• Keep beds weed-free.

Flower Beds

• Feed roses and dahlias with an organic fertilizer.
• Stake tall growing flowers before they get too big (and fall over, breaking the stem...ask me how I know this). These stakes are simple and easy to use.
• If there are early blooming perennials that need dividing, you can do it this month, making sure to water well until established.
• Trim and remove dying foliage from spring bulbs, digging and moving any that you'd like.
• Deadhead and prune spring blooming shrubs like rhododendrons and azaleas, lilacs and forsythia.
• Watch for signs of mildew, rust, and black spot - treat with organic options if they develop.

Other

• Lawn care: you can fertilize lawn for a second time; keep mowing and watering as needed.
• Bait for slugs and snails using beer traps or Sluggo.
• Trim hedges mid-month.
• Start a watering cycle if needed: soaking beds with soakers or drip systems every 5 days and raised beds every 4-5 days in warm, dry weather.

PRO TIP: Check out this easy DIY automatic watering system we created for our raised beds.

You can see all the month-by-month garden chores lists here.

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