How to enjoy your Texas garden in June.
June is arguably the most exciting month in the Texas kitchen garden! It's a month to enjoy the lushness of what you have created over the last couple of months of work. In central Texas and the Austin area, things are warming up and those wamr season plants are loving life! As always, I only recommend to our clients to grow in raised beds in our region. And if you are looking for a garden consultant or someone to help with raised bed installation and you live in Austin or our surrounding communities, book a consult with us now here and let yourself grow!
If you already have a great raised bed kitchen garden set up that you love, here are some tips on how to enjoy it. I believe each month of the year in Texas we can tend, harvest and plant in our garden - as long as you know what to do!
Care Tips:
Be sure to remove and discard any yellowing leaves from your tomatoes and any squash killed by squash vine borers (SVB). At this point in the year, you should see fewer SVB.
Use a 60%+ rubbing alcohol to clean your tools as you move from pruning one plant to the next.
If you have wide open spaces of soil in your garden, protect your soil from the sun by planting a few zinnia or other sun loving annual flowers in those spots to shade, add some beautiful color, and feed your pollinator neighbors.
Harvesting Tips:
If you have zucchini in your garden, by now you should have harvested some and could be sharing with neighbors. Harvest your okras, peppers and cucumbers sooner than later; too soon is always better than not soon enough. Smaller ones taste better and removing those first fruits will encourage more growth and fruit production overall. This last part is true for all your fruiting crops. On the herb realm; ensure you prune off the flowers when they sprout; they will rob your plants of energy and taste. Basil flowers can be used in tea. Harvesting the tops of taller herbs will make them grow bushy. If you'd like to dry them, take whole branches. Do not be shy. Herbs are meant to be harvested.
What to Plant in June:
As a transplant (as early in the month as possible):
Basil
Cantaloupe
Cucumber
Eggplant
Malabar Spinach
Melons
Mint
Okra
Oregano
Peppers
Pumpkin
Rosemary
Sage
Summer Squash
Sweet Potato (Slips)
Thyme
Winter Squash
As seeds (plant early and make sure you water daily when they are little!):
Melons
Southern Peas
Summer Squash
Watermelon
Winter Squash
