Everything I Sow in June
June is a turning point month in gardening: all the seedlings you’ve been growing all spring have finally left the nest and are heading into the ground. But no matter how strange it may seem, it’s time to think about starting sowing in the fall. In the meantime, there’s still plenty to sow outdoors, from summer squash to annual flowers.
Direct sowing outside
For the first time, I will be sowing several vegetables at once, which I usually grow inside as seedlings. The beginning of growth is like a guarantee. You can keep an eye on the seeds, they are not subject to any external influences such as weather or pests, and you can choose the best seeds to plant exactly where you want. By the time the weather allows you to plant your seedlings, you already have several weeks ahead of you. Direct sowing requires a little more trust and a little more patience, but less work.
Start with priorities. Get your corn in the ground and see beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, melons, basil, cabbage and carrots emerge by early June. Once they’re planted and you’ve marked where they are in the garden to avoid replanting, make room to plant greens around them such as chard, kale, endive, dill, cilantro and Asian greens. If you want to plant arugula (it easily becomes a spreading perennial), do it now.
Then it’s time to think about plantings like lettuce, beets, radishes and green onions. I’m really excited to try the new seeding tapes from Park Seeds for radishes , beets and carrots this year as it eliminates the need for a lot of spacing and thinning work. You can even make your own .
Annual flower sowing
This week, sunflower seeds were planted in the ground in rows based on height, with giant varieties in the back that will grow twenty feet in the air and shorter five-foot teddy bear varieties in front. A sunflower wall is an easy way to create a garden border. You can also start planting zinnias outdoors now. Remember that zinnias range in height from a foot to four feet. Mix and match them for great effect, and also consider zinnia blends from Renee’s Gardens . They always have eye-catching mixes of colors and sizes that I love. You can and should still sow nasturtiums throughout your garden. They act as a trap for aphids.
Consider planting cosmos in the soil now; they will grow to five or six feet and become bushy, with delicate flowers that fill the late summer season. Ammi, a carrot flower that makes a good filler flower for the garden, can be sown now, as can amaranth.
Start growing perennials for next year
Once my grow room is cleared of summer plants, I think about the perennials I have room for. These are expensive plants to buy at a garden center, so they are always worth growing at home. Agastache, also known as hummingbird mint, can be found in a wide range of colors from Etsy growers. I haven’t found that many flowers in commercial seed stores, but you can grow a veritable rainbow of plants. Echinacea, one of my favorite flowers for July, now comes in many vibrant colors and beautiful shapes and will return every year. Starting seeds now means that by late summer you will have a well-developed four-inch shoot that can be put into the ground. Consider perennial salvia (there is also annual salvia). Yarrow is no longer limited to the yellow and white flowers you’ve seen everywhere: summer berry yarrow comes in vibrant reds and pinks. Columbines bloom delightfully in the summer, like upside-down bells. You can start them now. Finally, consider trying delphinium, a seed that is notoriously difficult to germinate. It’s always a good idea to have this perennial shoot in the garden every year.
Start thinking about autumn
You don’t have to start your fall sowing until early July, but you should prepare your lists and get your seeds now. Now is a great time to do this because seeds are being sold everywhere. I receive daily sales notifications from every seed business I follow, so check out your nearest seed business and grab what you need.