NAVIGATION
What To Plant In June
Seed Starting In June
Best Garden Tools
June Planting FAQsKnowing what to plant in June is key to having successful harvests later in the year — it’s one of the busiest months for homesteaders and farmers to get things in the ground. Whether you’ve been starting seeds inside, or haven’t planned ahead, it’s not too late to plant a garden that produces great yields for the next several months.
In most growing zones in the Northern Hemisphere, June is a temperate time when the ground is thoroughly thawed, and you don’t have to worry about frost or the scorching temperatures of late summer just yet.
Hi, I’m Ryan
After several years of dedicated gardening and homesteading, I know what I need to do each month to keep my garden thriving. June is one of the busiest months, when I get my seeds and sprouts into the ground to keep tomato plants and beanstalks racing each other to the sun.
How Do I Know What To Plant In June?
If you’re someone living the homesteading life, you should know that June is not too late in the growing season to plant a garden. When it comes to vegetables, June is a major month for setting your garden up to produce bountiful harvests into the late summer and fall.
By planting a mix of quickly maturing plants like lettuces and radishes, your harvest payoff will come quickly. Getting slower-growing veggies, like peppers, squashes, and pumpkins, into the ground in June means you’ll have a tasty harvest to look forward to over the next few months.
By living a slow food lifestyle, you will soon understand the cycles of your land, and the fact that not everything grows well in all seasons. You might crave a fresh banana in December, but, for those of us focused on local and homegrown food, that’s not realistic. However, knowing the best vegetables to grow in June means that you’ll be eating what’s in season at its peak time, ensuring not only the best taste, but the most nutrition, too.
The below chart will cover many of the growing zones in the Northern Hemisphere, but you’ll want to stay aware of local weather patterns to choose the right vegetables for your ideal garden. For example, in some areas like the Carolinas, where I live, you can put tomatoes in the ground in May, but, in areas of the northern U.S. like Maine, North Dakota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you might face the threat of frosty nights until June.
| Vegetables | Planting Date | How To Sow |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | June 1 | Seedling |
| Beets | June 1 | Direct Sow |
| Carrots | June 5 | Direct Sow |
| Parsnips | June 5 | Direct Sow |
| Pumpkin | June 5 | Direct Sow |
| Squash | June 5 | Seedling |
| Zucchini | June 5 | Seedling |
| Eggplant | June 10 | Seedling |
| Lettuce | June 10 | Direct Sow |
| Cucumbers | June 10 | Seedling |
| Beans | June 10 | Direct Sow |
| Edamame | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Melons | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Swiss Chard | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Scallion (Green Onion) | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Corn | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Peppers | June 15 | Seedling |
| Lima Beans | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Snap Peas | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Sweet Potatoes | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Onions | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Cabbage | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Kale | June 15 | Direct Sow |
| Basil | June 20 | Seedling |
| Radishes | June 30 | Direct Sow |
Seed Starting: What Veggies Can I Plant In June?
You can plant a variety of vegetables in June — from leafy greens and herbs, to meaty heirloom tomatoes, to root vegetables. For the vegetable seedlings you plant in June, it’s ideal to start seeds inside several weeks prior, but I know plenty of homesteaders living in cool climates who even start seeds as June rolls around.
Because I live in a moderate climate where I can nurture a garden nearly year-round, I use a technique called succession planting.
Succession planting is a cycle where fast-growing plants like radishes or lettuces go through more than one growing cycle under the sun, leaving enough growing time for a second crop (and sometimes more, depending on the plant) to complete a lifecycle while the weather’s still temperate enough for them to fully develop.
Taking advantage of the entire growing window in your region will help make sure that your beds don’t lay fallow when they could be producing.
How To Start Seeds Indoors
Starting seeds yourself, as opposed to buying seedlings, is a great way to minimize expenses if you’re starting a homestead on a budget. Starting seeds indoors is simple, but how you go about it depends on a few factors. The size of your indoor space is important — having a greenhouse is obviously useful, but, if you don’t, you can also start seeds in growing racks inside your home.
Depending on window placement and availability in your home, you may not need to supplement light — or you may find that using growing lights is helpful.This may also depend on whether your homestead is on or off the grid, and if you have sufficient resources to power grow lights, which can be a significant energy drain.
You can use nearly any small container to start seeds — I save yogurt cups over the winter for this purpose — and fill them with a mix of soil and a growing medium like vermiculite, which is lightweight and enables moisture balance, germination, and growth.
The first time I tried my hand at starting my own seeds, I messed up by not planting my seeds in large enough containers. Many of them became root bound by transplant time, with the roots all tangled in a ball, making it hard (but not impossible) to transplant them. You also want to make sure the seeds are separated, so their roots don’t intertwine.
How To Successfully Transfer Seedlings
Transferring seedlings is not super challenging in itself, but there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure healthy plants.
Before transferring them, make a hole in the new location. Ensure that the soil around the seedling is wet before removing it from its container. I usually loosen the roots up just a bit before placing the seedling in its new location, and water immediately.
I like to check the weather forecast beforehand, because an unusually hot day or two can shrivel up the new plants before they have a chance to grow.
The Best Tools For A Successful June Planting Season
Since I try to live by minimalist principles, I’m not going to convince you that you need a million gadgets to tend a garden. It’s possible to get a good garden going as long as you follow some basic guidelines. However, maintaining one is significantly more difficult without the right tools.
My Primary Gardening Tools
- Gloves – A good set will be tough enough to protect your hands, but flexible enough to let you move quickly.
- Spade – A spade is similar to a shovel, but it allows for more controlled motion when you are planting a row of seeds or working with compacted soils.
- Hoe – A hoe helps you work with the soil more easily. I find it indispensable when thinning out plants.
- Garden fork – This performs similarly to a spade, helping you break up soil, with the added advantage of protecting any roots in the area you’re working.
- Hand trowel – This will help you manipulate the soil. Depending on your terrain, you may have soil that’s more clay-based, and requires a bit more effort to work.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vegetables To Plant In June
I’ve learned a lot about what to plant in June from several years working my own land, but, before I was experienced, I asked a lot of the questions new growers commonly ask. Going into this midsummer growing season with some basic knowledge under your belt will help set you up for success.
Do I Have To Plant The Vegetables That Grow Well, Even If I Don’t Like Them?
I think it’s smart to work with the natural advantages of your land and climate and start with larger amounts of the vegetables that are easiest to grow. Remember that the flavors of some vegetables can be altered significantly by pickling or roasting — radishes aren’t my favorite raw, but roasting them produces a surprisingly mild flavor. You can also sell or trade what you produce in excess, or can and dehydrate some to keep eating a varied diet through the winter.
How Do I Prepare The Soil For A Great Growing Season?
It’s important to make sure your soil is properly prepared before your plants are in the ground. You want to create a fertile mix of soil and supplements like peat moss and vermiculite to fill the soil with nutrients and moisture. Starting a compost pile is also one of the best things you can do for a homestead garden — think of it as fertilizer that’s free, since it’s made from your food and garden scraps.
Are There Some Vegetables That Just Don’t Grow Well In June?
Yes, some fruits and veggies just don’t tolerate high temperatures, so the best vegetables to grow in June are those that thrive in heat.
Some, like spinach, do better in the less extreme seasons like spring or fall, and will not grow well in the high summer temperatures. Keep this in mind before spending a lot of time and money growing these.
Gardening is unpredictable, since so many factors in and out of our control can affect our yields. And even though we certainly can’t predict the weather, learning to work with nature’s cycles gives you a big leg-up. When you know what to plant in June, you’ll set yourself up for success to enjoy and eat from your garden year-round.
Your Turn!
- What vegetables will you try to start indoors, for a second, later harvest?
- How will you arrange your garden beds to ensure the most productive growing season?
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