What to Grow in June: Gardening Tips with Hortiwool

June marks the beginning of summer and is one of the most rewarding months for gardening. With longer, warmer days and plenty of sunshine, it’s the perfect time to sow, plant out and tend to a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers. Whether you’re growing in pots, borders, greenhouses or raised beds, there’s plenty to do and using wool in the garden can make a real difference in nurturing healthy, happy plants.

Here’s our guide to gardening in June, including what to grow and key jobs to keep your garden thriving through summer.

What to Sow and Plant in June

Vegetables

While some spring sowings are coming to an end, June is still a busy month for veg growers.

Sow outdoors:

• Carrots – Choose early or maincrop varieties for late summer harvests.

• Beetroot – Quick and easy to grow, ideal for succession sowing.

• French beans and runner beans – Sow directly into the soil now that it's warm.

• Courgettes, marrows and squash – Perfect for sowing outdoors or transplanting seedlings.

• Lettuce, rocket, and other salad leaves – Sow little and often for a constant supply.

• Kale and sprouting broccoli – Sow now for harvests into autumn and winter.

Transplant outdoors:

• Tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines – Harden off greenhouse-raised seedlings before planting out.

• Brassicas like cabbages and cauliflowers – Plant into firm soil, ideally with some shade.

Fruit:

June is a key time for fruit maintenance, but you can still:

• Plant out strawberry runners if you’ve propagated them from older plants.

• Thin out fruitlets on apples, pears and plums to encourage better quality crops.

To support your strawberries and bush fruits, use Hortiwool Garden Pads as mulch around the base of plants. These pads help retain moisture, suppress weeds and is perfect during warmer months to regulate soil temperature.

Flowers:

Sow outdoors:

• Borage, calendula, cosmos, and nasturtiums – Great for pollinators and easy to grow in June.

• Wallflowers and Sweet Williams – Sow now for flowering next spring.

Transplant outdoors:

• Dahlias, sunflowers, and zinnias – Plant out once all danger of frost has passed.

• Hardy annuals – If you started them indoors earlier in spring, now’s the time to move them to their final positions.

Using Hortiwool Garden Pads under flowering plants helps reduce the stress of summer heat by locking in soil moisture. Plus, the natural wool slowly breaks down over time, adding nutrients back into the soil. Another bonus for sustainable gardening.

June Gardening Jobs

Aside from sowing and planting, gardening in June means keeping on top of the little tasks that make a big difference. Here’s what else to add to your list:

• Water regularly, especially newly planted crops and containers. Mulch with Hortiwool Garden Pads to conserve moisture and reduce watering frequency.

• Weed often – Weeds grow fast in summer, and compete for nutrients and space.

• Deadhead flowers to encourage new blooms and prolong flowering periods.

• Pinch out tomato side shoots to focus growth on fruit rather than foliage.

• Feed hungry plants – Tomatoes, courgettes and dahlias all benefit from a high-potash feed.

• Support tall crops like beans and peas with stakes or trellises.

• Mow the lawn regularly, but leave a patch or two wild for pollinators if you can.

Why Use Hortiwool Garden Pads?

Whether you’re sowing carrots or tending to tomatoes, Hortiwool Garden Pads are a natural choice for improving plant health and sustainable gardening. By using wool in the garden, you’ll benefit from:

• Moisture retention

• Weed suppression

• Insulation from temperature extremes

• Compostable, nutrient-rich wool that enriches the soil as it breaks down

They’re easy to cut to size, ideal for pots, planters, beds and borders and a sustainable solution to plastic-based garden products.

Gardening in June is all about keeping the momentum of spring and preparing for a bountiful summer. With the right planting choices, consistent care and the help of Hortiwool Garden Pads, your garden will be bursting with life in no time.

Happy growing and don’t forget to enjoy the fruits (and flowers!) of your labour.