While there may not be as much rain and the temperature continues to rise, underground moisture keeps plants watered so you can typically still successfully plant garden vegetables and plants in June.
Year after year it’s the same thing. We get calls, questions, and concerns; asking whether or not it’s too late to plant? Did we miss our window? These concerns are appropriate and believe me, nothing is worse than seeing a plant (anything for that matter) die, let alone see all your hard work and time go down the drain.
We like to say it’s never too late to plant if you really want to and are up for the challenge; heck if not outside then indoor plants are becoming more popular and aid in air quality too! While indoor plants are great, I’m more specifically talking about planting your vegetables and ornamental landscape plantings outside.
Underground Moisture Keeps Plants Watered
Yes, the weather is getting warmer and we’re not receiving as much rainfall. While it is hot above ground, the deeper layers of soil are still moist, especially if your beds are properly mulched (if not give us a call). The roots of your plants, if they’re fighters like you, are working to reach these deeper layers of soil while building strength. I guess the best way to explain this would be to provide an example of why it’s NOT too late.
Real-Life June Garden in Pictures
Last year, my (now) wife, two kids, two dogs, and a cat moved into our new home. Along with unloading and unpacking everything, which we are still doing, a requirement was that we have at least one small raised vegetable garden our first year and go from there; we moved into the house at the end of May. The end of June was showing its face and things were beginning to heat up just as they are this year and tend to do. The site was chosen, and it was time to get to work (keep in mind this was still turf area and had never been a garden before).
Constructing a New Garden Bed
We went to our local Habitat for Humanity Restore on Deramus Rd., on June 16, 2016, looking for some heat treated pallets to construct the garden bed and compost bin. We found one large 4’ x 12’ heat treated pallet that was used for the sides, and three smaller pallets which we used to construct the compost bin. Zero waste and super cool! We used the hillside to our advantage to save on material as well as used our moving boxes to suppress existing vegetation…Jilan wanted to keep them, and I said, “No”. Ha ha!
Next, a garden mix of sand, compost, and topsoil was added to level out the area. A family trip to our local Grasspad was now in order and most plants were on sale because it was “so late in the season!”
The garden’s official planting date was June 20, 2016, see photo below:
This was the garden July 26, 2016:
And again August 17 right before harvest:
A Hearty Harvest
The harvest was wonderful! We received several heirloom tomatoes, eight cantaloupe, basil & sage for days, lemon grass which has now been made into bug repellent, chives, which have come back again this year, lemon balm, which we let seed and is now growing everywhere, and two really great pumpkins that we let decompose in the garden bed and now, this year, there are nine pumpkin plants growing in the bed!
Story aside, I believe the photos speak for themselves; if you want to plant then plant.