What to plant in the June edible garden

Eggplant with petunia

Saturday, June 4, 2022

In our Zone 6/7 garden, June is summer.  The cold crops planted in April like lettuce, mustard, kale and spinach are bolting (gone to seed).  This year, I started the summer lovers like tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, cucumbers and eggplant from seed late.  The earliest tomatoes are blooming and one has a tomato on it.  The bean vines I planted a couple of weeks ago are about a foot tall.  I just transplanted the peppers, squash, cucumbers and eggplant into their summer pots and garden bed.  If planted earlier, they would all be flowering with baby fruits on them.  No worries, these heat lovers will grow quickly in the summer sun.

I have basil and my next round of greens planted in peat pots along with cock's comb.  I like starting seeds this time of year in peat pots on the covered patio where I can make sure they are getting even moisture.  As soon as they have their second set of true leaves, I transplant them on a cloudy day.

I'll continue growing lettuce from seed about every 3 weeks to keep sweet leaves going for harvest.  I do love salads.  I may also start more perennial edibles and flowers this month.  Next month is the time to start fall veggies from seed.

Below is a list of plants and seeds you can put in the June edible garden.  Transplants give you a jump on harvests and are still available at big box stores and nurseries, but seeds are inexpensive and you can get unusual varieties to try that you can't get as transplants.

 

June-transplants or seeds

Basil

Bee balm (monarda)

Beans-bush and pole

Beets

Borage

Broccoli

Catnip

Celery

Cucumber

Eggplant

Horseradish

Lavender

Lemon balm

Lettuce (heat tolerant)

Lovage
Mustard
Onions
Parsley
Parsnips

Peppers

Pumpkins

Radicchio

Radishes

Rosemary

Sage

Strawberries

Summer and winter squash

Tarragon

Thyme

Tomatoes

Turnips

Valerian

June-start from seeds directly in the garden

Beans (snap-bush & pole)

Beets

Carrots

Corn

Cucumber
Peas, Southern

Radishes

Squash

Turnips

I love to have fresh salads every day.  It is tough in summer to keep the traditional salad greens like lettuce and spinach going in the hot weather.  I sow seeds every 3 weeks in spring to keep greens going.  Go for the bolt resistant types in late spring and early summer.  Bolt-free, sweet summer lettuces  I have also in recent years started planting substitutes for lettuce and spinach.  

For lettuce substitute, I am growing sprouting broccoli and a sweet Chinese cabbage, Hilton, along with orach, multi colored amaranth, cultivated dandelion greens, arugula and chard.  All can be sown now.

For spinach substitutes, I am growing Perpetual Spinach, Red Malabar spinach and New Zealand spinach.  They all thrive in hot weather.  Malabar spinach is a vine so give it a trellis to climb.  It is quite pretty with its maroon stems and flowers.

Give your greens the coolest spot in the garden and moist to keep them sweet and succulent.  Growing summer salads

For tips on starting your seeds in the garden:  Outdoor seed starting tips  I also like to put a pot or two on our covered deck and start seeds there.  Once they are to a good size, transplant them into their permanent pot or into the garden bed.  Be sure your seedlings are hardened off as the heat and sun can be intense this time of year. "Hardening off" seedlings   I like to plant on a cloudy day when rain is being called for the next day.

In June, the days are getting hot and the rains don't come as often.  Be sure to water your new plants when it gets dry or they wilt.  Summer garden tips