What to Plant in June (UK)

June is the lush, busy heart of the UK growing year. The last frost is behind almost everyone now, so every tender crop can go out — and the first early harvests are landing on the plate. Here's your quick job list. Scan it, do the bits that apply to you, and crack on.

Sow indoors

Most indoor sowing is done for the year, but a few jobs are worth it:

• French and runner beans — a quick batch in pots to fill gaps where earlier sowings failed.
• Courgettes and squash — a last sowing if you've none on the go; they catch up fast in summer warmth.
• Quick herbs — pots of basil and coriander on a warm windowsill.

Sow outdoors

The soil is warm and seeds romp away. Sow little and often — that's successional sowing — so you're not swamped all at once:

• Salad leaves and lettuce — a short row every two to three weeks keeps the supply coming.
• Carrots — maincrop sowings now; cover with fleece against carrot fly.
• Beetroot — sow direct for autumn roots.
• French beans — direct now in warm soil for a heavy late crop.
• Swede — sow now for hearty winter roots.
• Radishes — three weeks from sowing to plate; great for quick wins.
• Peas — a final sowing of an early variety for a late-summer pick.

Plant out

The big June job: get every tender crop into its final home. Raised by you or bought as plug plants, they all want to be out now:

• Tomatoes — outdoors in a warm, sheltered spot, or into the greenhouse border.
• Courgettes, squash and pumpkins — give them room; they sprawl.
• Runner and French beans — plant out at the base of their supports.
• Sweetcorn — plant in a block, not a row, so the wind pollinates it properly.
• Peppers and chillies — best in a greenhouse or against a sunny wall.
• Cucumbers — outdoor types can go out; greenhouse types want warmth.

Harvest now

The early effort starts paying off. June is the first proper picking month:

• First early potatoes — lift when the flowers open; sweet and waxy.
• Strawberries — the main flush; net them against the birds.
• Peas and broad beans — pick young and often to keep them coming.
• Salad leaves, lettuce and radishes — cut-and-come-again at its best.
• Rhubarb — keep pulling, but ease off by month's end.

Jobs for June

Growth is fast now, so the plants need you to keep up:

• Water in earnest. Long, deep drinks at the base in the evening beat a daily sprinkle. New transplants and anything in pots dry out quickest.
• Feed the hungry crops. Tomatoes, courgettes and anything fruiting want a weekly high-potash tomato feed once flowers set.
• Stake and tie in. Pinch out tomato side shoots on cordon types; tie beans and peas to their supports.
• Earth up potatoes and keep hoeing weeds off while they're small.
• Mulch beds and pots to lock in moisture — see mulch for why a layer pays off all summer.
• Net the soft fruit before the blackbirds beat you to it.

Not sure when something's due where you live? Check the planting calendar for your area, and if you're nervous about a late cold snap, the frost date checker settles it. New to all this? Start with our easiest crops for beginners and the guide to starting a vegetable garden.

For the full year at a glance, head back to the month-by-month gardening guide — or jump ahead to what to plant in July.