Sally Scalera

Brevard County Horticulture Extension Agent
3695 Lake Drive -- Cocoa FL 32926 -- 321-633-1702

June gardening ideas

May 26, 2007

June is just a few days away and even though the high June temperatures can make working in the yard very hot and steamy, there are still plenty of things to do. Luckily the days are longer so, just remember to get out in the yard early in the morning, work under a tree through the middle of the day or wait until the evening hours.

  • If your lawn is a pale green add some iron to green it up (that way you won’t be a slave to your mower.) Use either a liquid seaweed, a chelated iron source or mix two ounces of ferrous sulfate in three to five gallons of water and sprinkle the solution over 1,000 square feet of turf.
  • Check your sprinklers to make sure that all of the heads are spraying full force and in the right direction.
  • Continue to let the grass clippings fall so that they can add nutrients and organic matter back to the soil.
  • Some flowers that you can plant this month include begonias, celosia, coleus, gaillardia, impatiens, marigolds, vinca, portulaca, purslane, salvia, gomphrena, lisianthus, cosmos and zinnias.
  • Herbs that do well now include basil, chives, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, sage, rosemary and thyme.
  • Bulbs to plant include African iris, caladiums, canna, crinum, daylily, eucharis lily, society garlic, and rain lily.
  • COMPLETE all azalea pruning by the end of the month.
  • For bushier poinsettias, prune them back four inches after every foot of new growth.
  • Some possible vegetables to plant for the hot summer are malabar spinach, calabaza, boniato, Jerusalem artichoke, chayote, jicama, okra, Southern peas, Seminole pumpkin, cassava, sweet potatoes, and winged beans.
  • If you have been having problems with nematodes or diseases in the vegetable garden, now is the time to treat them using soil solarization. Till or dig up the area and then wet the ground. Cover the soil with a sheet of thick plastic and anchor it along the edges. Allow the soil to remain covered for six to eight weeks or more!
  • After the solarization is complete, remove the cover and let the ground cool down. Then add a new layer of organic matter over the top and plant the new crops without disturbing the soil too much. When the planting is complete, mulch the area.
  • Continue to fertilize your vegetable plants monthly and remember to spray liquid seaweed on the leaves (both sides until they drip) weekly as long as the plants are flowering and producing fruit.
  • Prune blueberry shrubs to shape them.
  • Prune blackberries to the ground.
  • Fertilize your banana plants monthly - harvest the stalk when the first hand (row of bananas) begins to yellow. Hang the stalk of bananas in a shady spot to ripen.
  • Fertilize mature citrus trees a second time this year with up to eight pounds of an 8-8-8 citrus fertilizer per tree.
  • Here is a list of some of the fresh produce that could be available at produce stands or farmer’s markets in June: avocado, blackberries, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, endive/escarole, grapefruit, guava, mangoes, oranges, peppers, potatoes, radishes, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelon.