What to sow in June

June – that fickle month…

Ordinarily, June for us is the beginning of festival season – a series of workdays at Worthy Farm, Glastonbury culminating in the festival around Summer Solstice.

With the festival postponed until 2021, our busy green fingers are still sowing. Living in Wales, we start off most crops undercover, as the short growing season is often wetter than other parts of the UK.

Our virtual seed swap is still live here. Here’s what we are planting this month:

In the greenhouse / polytunnel/ windowsill/ coldframe:

• Sow cucumber and gherkin seeds in individual pots or modules
• Start winter cabbage seeds off in a greenhouse/ cold frame now as they require a long growing season
• Sow salad leaves in module trays under glass for transplanting later.
• Start sweetcorn seeds in modules. Grow at least 12 plants for good pollination and cropping
• Peas can be started off in modules if mice are a problem
• Broccoli and calabrese
• Think ahead to winter and start kale seeds now

Directly in the ground where they are to grow:

• Runner beans & french beans, next to a support
• Sow beetroot thinly, directly into the ground
• Continue to sow carrots in short rows, protecting with fleece to prevent carrot fly – carrot foliage is edible
• Chicory seeds can be sown directly into the soil now
• Keep sowing short successional rows of fast-growing herbs such as coriander, dill and parsley
• Corn salad (Lamb’s Lettuce) for summer and winter salads
• Sow salad leaves directly outside, every 3 or 4 weeks, for continuous harvesting.
• Courgette and squash – use the male flowers in a mixed salad
• Peas – the shoots are good in a mixed salad
• Sow radish seeds directly into the soil for quick and easy home-grown salads – the leaves and seed pods are edible too
• Direct sow spinach seeds in soil enriched with plenty of organic matter. Try growing spinach ‘Perpetual‘ if you have very dry soil.
• Sow spring onion seeds in drills outdoors for a quick crop to add to salads and stir fries
• Sow swede seeds outdoors in a rich fertile soil for autumn and winter crops
• Kohl rabi where you want it to grow – it’ll be ready in as little as 8 weeks after sowing and looks nice in a border
• Sow Pak choi every 3 weeks for a continuous crop of leaves, letting some grow to maturity
• Swiss Chard makes a colourful addition to borders and the vegetable plot
• Start to sow turnips in drills outdoors for a great addition to casseroles and stews