Hoosier Gardener June garden checklist

Plants growing in containers, such as these at Sullivan Hardware & Garden near 71st and Keystone in Indianapolis, can be transplanted any time you can work the soil. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Indoors

Houseplants will need more water and fertilizer during summer growing period.

General landscape

Prune spring-flowering shrubs within a month after blooms fade.
Supplement water as needed. Most newly planted stock needs an inch of water every week or 10 days. Established trees, shrubs and perennials can go several weeks without supplemental watering.
Remove faded blooms from peony, iris, delphiniums and other spring perennials.
Container-grown stock, including shrubs, trees, perennials and annuals, can be planted any time.
Continue planting gladiolus for successive blooms.

Vegetables and fruits

Discontinue harvest of asparagus and rhubarb in mid-June to allow foliage to develop and store food reserves for next year. Fertilize. Water when dry.
Blanch (exclude from light) cauliflower when heads are 2-inches in diameter. Tie leaves up over the developing heads.

Broccoli head ready for harvest. Photo courtesy Purdue University

Harvest spring plantings of broccoli, cabbage and peas.
Plan your Halloween pumpkin. Determine the days to harvest for particular cultivar and count backward to find the proper planting date.
Remove cold-season plants, such as radish, spinach and lettuce, as they bolt or form seed stalks.
Every week or 10 days, continue planting carrots, beans and sweet corn for successive harvests.
Do not be alarmed by June drop of tree fruit. It is a natural thinning process. If needed, help nature by thinning fruit to 6- to 8-inches apart and propping heavy branches.

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