What to do in June

Fertilizing

  • Fertilize or sidedress your vegetables as needed.

Planting

  • Start plants in June of brussel sprouts and collards for transplanting into the garden in mid-July.
  • Plant the following vegetables in your garden in June: beans, lima beans, southern peas, pepper, sweet potato, pumpkin and tomato.

Pruning

  • Late June is the recommended time to prune white pine. Trim new growth only.
  • Prune narrowleaf evergreens like juniper and arborvitae..
  • Prune the bigleaf or florist hydrangea when the flowers fade.
  • Trim hedges as needed.
  • Remove water sprouts on any fruit trees and crabapple.
  • Cut off the faded flowers of phlox, shasta daisy and daylily to encourage a second flowering.
  • Trim dried up foliage of your spring flowering bulbs.
  • Prune out dieback on hybrid rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel, and blueberry.
  • Pinch your chrysanthemums to encourage branching.

Spraying

  • Spray the following landscape shrubs for the following insect pests: arborvitae- bag worm, boxwood- leaf miner, crapemyrtle – aphid, hemlock – spider mites, and pyracantha – lace bug.
  • Spray for Japanese beetles as needed.
  • Spray the following vegetables if insects are observed: cucumber (cucumber beetle), squash (squash borers and aphids), tomato and eggplant (flea beetle), broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower (worms).
  • Keep spraying your tree fruits and bunch grapes with a pest control program.
  • Check your asparagus plants for the asparagus beetle. Spray with the recommended insecticide if beetles are observed.
  • Continue with rose spray program.
  • Watch for dark brown spots on your tomato leaves. If observed, spray with a fungicide for early blight.
  • Spray herbicides on the following woody weeds: poison ivy, honeysuckle and kudzu.
  • Use pesticides sparingly. Spray only when needed.

Lawn Care

  • Continue fertilizing zoysia this month. Do NOT fertilize tall fescue and bluegrass now.
  • Start zoysia in June.

Propagation

  • Late June is the ideal time to take semi-hardwood cuttings. Azaleas, cotoneaster, camellia, holly, pieris, red-tip photinia and rhododendron cuttings should be taken in June or July.

Specific Chores

  • Build a coldframe for rooting your shrub cuttings.
  • Renovate your strawberry bed after the berry harvest is completed.
  • Water your favorite plants during periods of dry weather. Water early in the morning. Watering late in the day encourages plant disease growth.
  • Vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week.
  • Harvest crops on a regular basis to keep plants producing.

From http://catawba.ces.ncsu.edu/calendar-2/