Garden Chores for June

What a cold and wet month May has been! Cool weather vegetables are growing well, but those of us who have set out our warm weather vegetables are just waiting for some warmth to kick-start the summer growing season! Of course, there are slugs and snails galore because of the rain...

Sowing indoors: Most vegetables can be sown outside. If the weather gets too warm and sunny in late June, some fall/winter crops can be started in some shade to give them a chance to germinate before drying out.

Sowing outdoors: Succession sow summer vegetables such as carrots, cilantro, Asian greens, beans, cucumber and squash. Late June is a good time to sow the seeds of vegetables for fall/winter harvest in flats or trays, and to transplant them into the spaces as the summer vegetables get harvested. Check seed catalogs for varieties of cabbage, lettuce, beets and Asian greens that are suitable to winter over. Transplants of leeks and Brussels sprouts can be set in the ground, and turnips, rutabagas and other root crops can be sown directly.

For a detailed planting calendar, please refer to 

• Seattle Tilth's The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide; 
• PDF from Oregon Tilth  https://tilth.org/app/uploads/2015/02/OT_PHCalendar_Archive.pdf   
• Oregon extension service https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/monthly-garden-calendars 
•  Washington State University extension service https://extension.wsu.edu/snohomish/fall-and-winter-vegetable-gardens-for-western-washington