June Garden Chores

Don't miss the link to BCTV's Garden Chores video at the bottom of the page.

Lawns:

• Maintain the mowing height for fescue lawns at 3 inches. Try to mow frequently enough to remove no more than 1/3 of the blade at a time.
• Do not fertilize cool season lawns until September.
• Regular rainy weather will produce good conditions for brown patch, a fungus disease. If brown patches begin to occur in the lawn do not irrigate and do not mow the lawn when wet.

Ornamentals:

• Irises and daylilies can be divided even while in bloom. This is useful if you need to keep flower colors separated. Remove any remaining flowers, cut leaves half way back and replant the divisions as soon as possible.
• Container gardens will perform best with regular fertilizing and occasional trimming.
• Early spring rains have encouraged many of us to do a lot of planting. Remember to check new plantings through the summer. Trees and shrubs will need a good soaking every week through the first growing season. Herbaceous perennials will need regular watering at least for the first couple of months.
• You can still plant seeds for fast maturing annuals such as cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, and small sunflowers.
• If you have moved house plants outside for the summer, this is a good time to repot if you have not done so. Also remember to monitor the soil moisture as plants will dry out faster outside.

Fruits:

• Wet spring and early summer weather is especially bad for developing brown rot on peaches and plums, and black rot on grapes. Maintain regular fungicide sprays as a preventative as these diseases cannot be controlled once they have infected the fruit.
• This is not a bad time to remove excess sucker and watersprout growth from apple trees. Removing the excessively vigorous growth now will allow more of the plant’s energy to go into fruit and desirable growth, and will result in less re-sprouting than winter pruning.
• A healthy strawberry bed can be renovated after harvest. Beds more than 3 or 4 years old are often best removed and replanted in the fall or spring.

Vegetables:

• Vegetable crops generally need another dose of fertilizer about 5 to 6 weeks after planting, or when fruit starts to form.
• Once cucumbers, squash and green beans begin to fruit, check them daily. The fruits mature quickly and are best harvested while young and tender.
• Be careful when harvesting. Use 2 hands to pull beans, cucumbers, squash, etc. to avoid breaking the plant.
• Through the month of June you can still plant tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, green beans, winter squash.
• If you want more tomato plants, those suckers you remove now will root easily in moist potting soil.
• Plant a tomato in a container for your patio or deck. Keep watered.

For more information, view BCTV's June Garden Chores video, or call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.