Get into gardening

Vegetable Garden

In the beginning of June, plant these outside: runner beans, dwarf French beans, kohl rabi, carrots, marrows, cauliflowers, peas, ridge cucumbers, sweet corn, swede, lettuce, endive, squashes and spinach.

And if you’d like to grow veg for the winter and spring try these: cabbages, kale, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Protect your crops – Spread nets over soft fruit bushes like currants and strawberries. Otherwise birds will quickly strip plants of their fruit (check the netting daily to make sure no birds have become trapped).

Bedding Plants

Stake any tall sunflowers to stop them snapping. Hoe borders as often as possible to keep the weeds down. Get your summer flowers planted outside. If you need to buy some bedding plants, pop to Homebase where you will find a great range.

Containers

Keep containers and hanging baskets well watered and remove faded flowers to encourage more blooms throughout the summer.

Greenhouse

If the days are hot and sunny, the humidity in your greenhouse will rise, spreading the chance of bugs and diseases. To stop this just open the window vents and let some air in.

Hedges

Trim and tidy up hedges now. Brush off trimmings to prevent the spread of fungal diseases. Don’t forget to check for nesting birds before clipping hedges.

Herbs

Try growing basil, mint, parsley or thyme. After planting, place in a sunny spot near the kitchen so they're handy when cooking.

Lawn

Little and often – that’s the key to a beautiful lawn. After mowing, keep the edges tidy using long-handled edging shears or a strimmer. Try and mow lawns at least once a week.

Perennials (winter surviving plants)

Check plants for a white powdery coating on the surface of their leaves as they might have mildew. If you spot any, cut out all infected parts of the plant and burn diseased material.

Remove weeds before they flower and start spreading. When pulling perennial weeds, make sure you pull up the entire root – otherwise it will re-grow.

Roses

Encourage growing and long lasting flowers by sprinkling rose fertiliser around your plants.

Shrubs

Cut back shrubs after flowering to revitalise plants and improve their shape.

If you’ve got any Philadelphus, give them a good cut back, they will benefit later on. And remember, now is a great time to take cuttings from your shrubs for growing new plants later on.

Prune your spring-flowering shrubs (once flowering has finished) – watering and feeding regularly if needed.

Trees

Water all newly planted trees well for the first year – it takes at least a year for new roots to develop deep into the soil for the tree to be fully settled in.

Vegetables

There's still time to plant climbing, dwarf and runner beans directly in the ground. If you’re growing courgettes, celery, tomatoes and squash plant them outside in a sunny spot.

Start picking onions, garlic and early potatoes. Your lettuce, radish and other salad bits should be good to pick too.

Plant later season crops in a glass-growing box.

If you’ve been growing anything in a greenhouse first you can plant them outside in soil beds. This includes brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery, courgettes, cucumbers, marrows, runner and French beans.

Beetroot, Carrots and Lettuce rows can be thinned out.

Homebase stock a great range of 'ready to pick' vegetable plants – ideal for putting on your patio. The range has 'ready to pick' tomatoes, chilli, sweet peppers & aubergines. Get yours at Homebase between June and August.