ROB'S PLOT All systems GO!

June is a busy month for Rob Smith. Still some planting to do, plenty of watering, checking for pests and harvesting a range of crops

- Rob Smith

With frost a thing of the past (for the majority of the UK), it's all systems go in the kitchen garden, with sowing, planting and harvesting all needing some attention this month. June can be a glorious month for the veg grower, with greenhouses starting to crop and beds and borders both brimming with goodies which are ready to be picked. That said, it's also a month of hard graft to make sure all your veg have what they need to perform to their potential, so make sure you're ready to work hard as it will reward you in the months to come.

If you left any chard plants in the ground, you'll notice they are starting to put on flower spikes, so it's decision time, do they stay or go? Chard flower spikes can be eaten and cooked like asparagus; in fact, the plants are short-lived perennial veg, so can be cut back now and they'll produce a nice flush of fresh leaves for the next few months. That said, the plants do start to look like something from another planet, so if you need the bed for another crop it's best to remove them and sow fresh seeds.

LETTUCE AND CALENDULA

Another crop which is great at this time of year is lettuce! You can almost see them growing in front of your eyes, so be ready to harvest the leaves regularly, ideally from the bottom of the plant as this lets the rest grow. That said, they can soon start to bolt in hot weather, so make a small sowing every two weeks to keep you in fresh leaves. It's also an idea to plant lettuce behind taller crops like beans; the shady conditions will suit them better and mean they last longer without bolting and becoming bitter.