What to sow in June - advice from the gardening gurus
Helloo,
How's it growing? Here is my monthly collection of what to sow videos from my favourite YouTube garden growers. Liz from BytheFarm, with one of her comprehensive lists; Mothin from My family Garden, with some really interesting additions; Huw Richards with additions and handy hints and Mark from Learn How to Garden. I learned a lot from this video when I was starting to sow and grow last year.
So let's start with Liz.
Liz highlights the importance of successional sowing which I'm trying to get better at and will be taking her advice on Calebrese (the headed broccoli you get in the shops). Also nice tip on sowing direct in watering the trench first, sowing, back filling then watering again. Another water and then they should be taking care of themselves. What I'm curious about is her observation on how courgettes grow in the opposite direction of their first true leaves. I'll be watching you courgettes - you are on my radar now!
There are some duplications but also additions from Mothin.
What I like about this video is how he uses herbs 'smelly plants' in his planting scheme as companion plants as distractors for pests. Also growing carrots in pots so you can raise them as carrot fly does not jump over 2 ft (60 cm). Both he and Huw extol the virtue of filling gaps with dwarf beans. I was amazed last year how quickly the dwarf beans went from sowing to cropping so will definitely be taking their advice. I have sown fenugreek this year as I love it in some of my curry recipes but I didn't know is that it can be a tasty addition to salads - will give it a try. I, like Mothin, don't feel I've grown enough cucumbers this year so am comforted that it is not too late, and will be finding some climbing spaces to join him in growing this staple of my summer salad. Mothin suggests Mibuna, which Mark from the last video would disagree with in early June, but will come on to that later.
And that brings us onto the advice from Huw.
Interesting addition of dill and that it self seeds. I've not had much luck with dill so am going to give it another go, this time direct sowing. Plus I love his ethos of 'free food'. Some things I found really interesting here was sowing beetroot now that will 'hold in the ground' as Huw puts it into January February. Also sowing kale in pots to plant out after some of the summer crops have harvested. I really like the way all 3 gardeners above use this technique and I was amazed how many different crops I could get over the different seasons in the same bed. I also really like the idea of getting some things in the ground which will take over from others.
I also like the way he describes khol rabi as looking like it comes from a different planet. To me it has always looked like a little alien. I didn't have success with it last year so definitely going to try it again this month. There is a link in his video to a bean growing vid. As a new gardener I didn't know to plant beans inside the stick frame. I remembered with some of my plantings out this year and forgot in others - but for my June sowings I'll keep it in mind this time.
From the channel it looks like Mark stopped producing videos a couple of years ago, but in starting out last year I found his advice really helpful.
I hunted this one down as I found his advice on sowing the Chinese salads after the 21st June really helpful. I had been so disappointed that my rocket and pac choi went to seed in earlier sowings and this explained why. Following his advice I had lush salads all the way through the winter months as many of the mizumas, mibuanas, mustards (the really tasty salads) grow best in cooler climates and are winter hardy - my top tip! What I also learned from Mark was to stick my finger in the ground to see if it needs watering, and to make sure the surface of the soil is broken up a bit so the water can soak through. On watering it was his advice I follow to soak rather than sprinkle. A little and often will bring roots to the surface rather than encouraging them to do a deep dive to get more nutrients and the water below the surface.
In my experience of using my own (slightly unfinished compost, and to be fair the cow manure beds last year) I had to water very little as the ground held the moisture really well.
So from all the above my list for June is..
Two things I wish I was doing was taking Huw's advice on Serpa Mera potatoes and stem lettuce but I didn't get any seeds - but will have a go next year.
And carrots!!! I will be sowing (again). Not had much luck this year the orange crunch root is eluding me.
Happy lottie plotting and planting people.
love
Auntie G
Next: Coming soon Lottie plot update
