June Checklist

June is officially the start of winter and tidying the garden at this time of year can be difficult. We recommend you do little bits and pieces when the weather allows. Consistent effort over the winter months will benefit your garden in the coming spring.

What to plant in the garden?

Home grown

Its a great time to plant spinach, cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli, so go ahead and get planting.

Check your citrus trees and remove fruit from those branches that are straining under the weight.

Shorten fruit tree branches that are bending under the weight of fruit, rather than risk losing a productive branch.

Prepare your potato bed now, as potato seed will be available at your Mitre10 store soon.

Garlic requires little attention once the bulb has been planted and is a six - month crop.

Garlic is traditionally planted on the shortest day and harvest is around the longest day.

When planting garlic, choose a sunny, well - drained spot and dig in compost, then plant the bulbs 6cm deep and 16cm apart.

Lime sulphur is a good dual - purpose spray. Acting as a fungicide and an insecticide, the diluted liquid can be painted on branches of deciduous trees and shrubs to combat lichen.

WARNING! Lime sulphur stinks and it will stain your clothing so wear your old gardening gear.

Fruit trees will need a little attention now with a clean - up spray; this can be applied to take care of any bugs that have burrowed in for the winter.

Remove and replace any of your codlin moth bands.

Look out for new stocks of fruit trees, as these will be available at Mitre10 about now.

Flower garden

Roses should be planted now. When choosing location, consider the following:

Good drainage is vital; roses do not like to have wet feet.

Roses need at least half a day of sun; preferably in the morning.

Average soil is OK but the addition of compost before planting will give you better results

Roses dont like to compete with other plants or trees for food, so give them space.

Choose your plant for its strong growth and an open vase shape.

Prune old roses and seal all cuts to stop infection.

Winter annuals such as polyanthus pansies and violas can also be planted now.

Lawn care

Loose leaves are plentiful at this time of year. Keep them off the grass, as they will smother the lawn and create bare patches.

Fallen leaves are ideal for your compost bin, so get collecting!