What to sow and grow in June
What the hell — how is it June already?
It’s hard to believe how quickly the garden has changed over the last few weeks. The mix of rain, sunshine, warm days, cold nights, and sharp winds has sent everything into overdrive. Crops are growing fast, weeds are appearing everywhere, fruit is beginning to ripen, and the daily to-do list seems to get longer every time we head outside.
At Fat Tomato, the garden feels completely alive now. We’ve been potting up plants, sending heritage tomato plants off to new homes, sowing pumpkins and squash, and starting the first of the winter brassicas for the colder months ahead.
Inside the polytunnel, everything is stretching upwards. Overwintering onions are hanging around the tunnel. Tomatoes and cucumbers are finally in their growing positions, grapevines are racing overhead, peaches are swelling slowly on the trees, and the scent of basil, coriander, and tomato leaves hangs heavily in the warm air.
Outside, elephant garlic is throwing up huge scapes, strawberries are ripening quickly, and the apples are starting to swell.
The challenge this month? Keeping on top of everything, especially the slugs and snails, which seem to appear overnight. We also have a family of rabbits causing absolute mischief, eating the tops of leeks and digging holes in the rhubarb patch!
OUR June LIST — WHAT WE’RE DOING
Tomatoes
The polytunnel tomatoes are growing fast now, and we’ve planted more outdoors again this year too.
We’ve sown over 100 varieties altogether — large, tiny, striped, yellow, purple, orange, and some wonderfully odd-looking ones. We’re still sowing a few later varieties to stretch the harvest as far into autumn as possible.
We’ll also have tomato plants available at the Honesty Farm Shop over the next few weeks if anyone is still looking to fill gaps in the garden.
Courgettes, Pumpkins & Squash
We’re sowing another round of courgettes now for succession through summer and autumn.
Pumpkins and winter squash are also being sown for autumn eating, storage, and Samhain displays later in the year. We sow ours into rich peat-free compost as they’re hungry plants from the very beginning.
Young squash plants are being planted out carefully now — with lots of compost, space, and slug protection.
Runner Beans & French Beans
Runner beans and climbing French beans are finally going onto their supports.
The rabbits have discovered them too, unfortunately, and keep finding ways through the netting. Gardening always keeps you humble.
We continue sowing dwarf French beans little and often to extend the harvest season.
Roots
We’re direct sowing more beetroot and beginning our winter carrots and parsnips now to carry us through autumn and winter.
Successional sowing becomes really important from this point onwards.
Salads & Leafy Greens
Lettuces, rocket, mustard greens, spinach, chicories, and mixed leaves are growing quickly.
We sow little trays every few weeks rather than everything at once — it keeps the kitchen and honesty shop supplied steadily, rather than all at the same time.
Watering becomes critical now, especially during windy spells, as salads bolt quickly when stressed.
Cucumbers & Melons
Tunnel cucumbers are thriving at the moment. We’re growing varieties like Hasköy, Marketmore, Suyo Long, Crystal Apple, and Lemon cucumber this year.
The melons had a strong start but slowed slightly during the colder nights. We’ve given them seaweed feed and are hoping for a warmer stretch soon.
Herbs
We’re sowing more basil, parsley, coriander, dill, and chervil for summer and autumn harvests.
Perennial herbs such as oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, and pineapple sage are being trimmed back, fed, and propagated.
Even when we can’t use all the herbs ourselves, plenty goes to the hens — they love them, and they’re brilliant for gut health.
Winter Brassicas
The first winter brassicas are now being started — kale, winter cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
It always feels slightly strange sowing winter crops while standing in bright June sunshine, but that’s the rhythm of gardening.
Potatoes
Potatoes are growing strongly now and are still being earthed up with compost and grass clippings.
The first earlies won’t be far away — one of the best moments of the gardening year.
Fruit
The first of the strawberries has started to ripen. We picked the first few last week, and some are already tucked into the freezer ready for this year’s Wild Strawberry Rose Cordial.
Gooseberries and currants are swelling quickly too, and we’re constantly checking nets before the birds beat us to them.
The “June drop” will happen soon as apple and pear trees naturally shed some fruit to focus their energy.
Flowers for Pollinators
We’re still sowing nasturtiums, calendula, cosmos, borage, and cornflowers.
Flowers are scattered right through the vegetable beds — attracting pollinators, softening the space, and ending up in salads and bunches for the shop.
Other Jobs Around the Garden
Weeding and mulching constantly — little and often is the only way
Feeding fruiting plants weekly with seaweed and comfrey tea
Watering pots, raised beds, and tunnel crops regularly
Ventilating the polytunnel early each morning as temperatures rise
Supporting climbing crops before they collapse into each other
Keeping one eye on the weather and another on the slugs
Seeds for the Season Ahead
June is still a brilliant sowing month in Ireland, especially for quick-growing summer crops, herbs, salads, beans, beetroot, courgettes, and flowers.
We’ve got a growing range of organically grown, open-pollinated heritage seeds available through our online store and at the Honesty Farm Shop — all selected for flavour, resilience, and suitability for Irish gardens.
Let us know what’s happening in your garden this month — whether things are thriving, getting eaten by slugs, or slightly taking over.