Things To Do In June

JUNE MARKS THE BEGINNING OF WINTER AND HERALDS A TIME OF SETTLED WEATHER AND SHORT BUT OFTEN MILD, PLEASANT DAYS —IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR GARDENING

- Jennifer Stackhouse

COOL & TEMPERATE

VEGIES

For those who want to make the most of the cooler conditions for an early-spring harvest, plant broad beans, peas and brassicas. In very cold areas, postpone planting peas until late winter.

Broad beans are tall, brittle plants that grow best if they are supported. Alternatively, grow them against a trellis, on a fence or stake individual plants with a bamboo cane. The support is needed to protect them as they grow, as these brittle-stemmed plants are easily broken or bent in windy weather or even during heavy rain. Even dwarf forms may require support to prevent damage.

Tall broad bean varieties can be more than 2m high. These grow well against a trellis or even a piece of reo (reinforcing wire) and can be an attractive as well as productive garden plant. For something a little different, look for crimson flowered broad beans to bring a splash of colour to the garden. As with all legumes, flowering and fruit set may be delayed if there’s a patch of very cold weather during winter. Expect fruit to start forming once the weather begins to warm in early spring.

FRUIT

Winter used to be the main time to prune deciduous fruit trees. In home gardens, much of the pruning work is now down after harvest in autumn, but there’s still pruning work to do in winter. This is the time to remove inward-growing branches, dead wood and any branches crossing over each other. Also, shorten growth to allow ease of maintenance and to enable trees to be netted. Always use sharp pruning tools to avoid stem damage.

Not all plants are bare and unproductive over winter. Citrus continue to crop and can be picked as needed. These trees do not need winter pruning.