🌿 June on the Allotment — Growth, Gaps & Good Habits
Dear Member,
Most of your crops should now be growing strongly, and many of your quick‑maturing vegetables will be ready for the table. But it’s certainly not time to relax. June is a month of momentum — watering, weeding, feeding, and keeping a close eye on pests all make a real difference to your summer harvest.
🥬 Fill Gaps with Crops
Early in the season the plot looks spacious, but it fills up fast.
Make the most of every pocket of soil by sowing fast‑growing salads and lettuces between slower crops. Empty ground only grows weeds — so you might as well grow food instead.
🍋 Citrus Trees
Citrus can now be moved outdoors.
Acclimatise them gradually by placing them in shade for the first two weeks before moving them into brighter positions.
🌡️ Greenhouse & Indoor Sowing
Greenhouses and polytunnels work hard in June. Good management prevents heat stress and pest problems.
- Ventilate well: Open doors and vents during the day — temperatures rise fast.
- Dampen down: Wet the floor to cool the space and deter red spider mite.
- Water regularly: Tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons need consistent moisture.
- Feed: Use a high‑potash fertiliser once flowers appear.
- Tie in new growth: Train tomatoes and cucumbers to improve airflow and avoid overcrowding.
🍎 Fruit Tasks for June
Fruit is developing quickly now — time for thinning, mulching, and monitoring.
- June drop: Apple and pear trees naturally shed excess fruit. Don’t worry — it’s normal.
- Mulch strawberries: Straw or biodegradable mulch keeps fruit clean and reduces rot.
- Check gooseberries for sawfly: These pests can strip leaves rapidly — act early.
- Tie in new shoots: Especially on trained fruit trees to improve structure and airflow.
- Thin fruit: If natural drop hasn’t done enough, thin apples and plums by hand to prevent branch strain and improve fruit size.
🌱 Plants for Sale
Still available:
- A few squash and pumpkins
- A couple of courgettes
- Newly donated sweet pepper plants
First come, first served at The Hut.
🧪 Comfrey & Nettle Feed (Very Effective… and Very Smelly!)
A simple, nutrient‑rich homemade feed for hungry crops like tomatoes and aubergines:
- Half‑fill a bucket with chopped nettles and comfrey.
- Top up with water and cover.
- Leave for two weeks to ferment.
- Strain into another container.
- Dilute 1 part feed to 10 parts water.
It keeps for about a month — but be warned, the smell is legendary.
🌞 June Monthly Offer — 10% Off
All Tomato Feeds
Perfect timing as your plants begin to flower and set fruit.
Count down to the Produce Show – 79 days
Happy Gardening,
Mick Goodman
Membership Secretary
