June marks the beginning of winter in New Zealand, and it’s a time to protect your garden from the cold while preparing for the upcoming spring season. Here’s a comprehensive checklist to help you manage your garden tasks in June.
General Garden Maintenance
- Weeding: Keep on top of weeds to prevent them from competing with your plants for nutrients and water.
- Mulching: Apply a thick layer of mulch around plants to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and insulate roots from the cold.
- Cleaning: Clear away fallen leaves and plant debris to prevent pests and diseases. Add healthy organic matter to your compost pile.
- Tool Maintenance: Clean, sharpen, and oil your garden tools to prepare them for the winter months and upcoming spring tasks.
Vegetable Garden
- Planting: Plant winter crops such as garlic, onions, shallots, and broad beans. Sow seeds for leafy greens like spinach, kale, and lettuce in protected areas or under cloches.
- Harvesting: Harvest any remaining summer crops before the first frost and continue harvesting winter vegetables as they mature.
- Cover Crops: If you have green manure crops growing, cut them down and dig them into the soil to decompose and enrich the soil.
- Feeding: Apply a slow-release fertilizer to winter vegetables to support their growth during the cold months.
Fruit Garden
- Pruning: Prune deciduous fruit trees such as apples, pears, and stone fruits while they are dormant. Remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches to improve airflow and shape the tree.
- Planting: June is a good time to plant new fruit trees and bushes. Ensure they are well-watered and mulched to help them establish before spring.
- Protecting: Use frost cloth or covers to protect vulnerable fruit trees and plants from frost damage.
- Feeding: Apply a balanced fertilizer to fruit trees and bushes to support their health and future fruit production.
Flower Garden
- Planting: Plant winter-flowering bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and crocuses. You can also plant winter annuals like pansies, violas, and primroses for some color during the cold months.
- Pruning: Prune roses and other deciduous shrubs after they finish blooming to shape them and remove dead or diseased wood.
- Deadheading: Remove spent flowers from winter annuals to encourage continuous blooming.
- Dividing: Divide and replant overcrowded perennials such as irises, daylilies, and hostas.
Lawn Care
- Mowing: Continue to mow the lawn, but gradually raise the mower height to leave the grass slightly longer for winter protection.
- Aerating: Aerate the lawn to improve drainage and reduce compaction, especially in areas with heavy foot traffic.
- Feeding: Apply a slow-release winter lawn fertilizer to strengthen the grass and prepare it for spring.
- Weeding: Remove weeds by hand or use a selective herbicide to keep the lawn looking its best.
Container Gardening
- Watering: Check container plants regularly and water as needed, ensuring the soil is not waterlogged. Reduce watering frequency in winter.
- Feeding: Use a slow-release fertilizer or liquid feed for container plants to support their growth during the colder months.
- Protection: Move containers to sheltered spots to protect plants from frost and cold winds. Use frost cloth or covers if necessary.
- Re-potting: Re-pot container plants that have outgrown their pots or need fresh soil.
Herb Garden
- Harvesting: Harvest herbs such as basil, parsley, and mint before the first frost. Dry or freeze herbs for winter use.
- Protection: Move tender herbs like basil and rosemary indoors or to a greenhouse to protect them from frost.
- Planting: Plant cold-hardy herbs such as thyme, sage, and oregano in the garden or containers.
Conclusion
By following this comprehensive gardening checklist for June, you can ensure your garden remains healthy and well-maintained throughout the winter months in New Zealand. These tasks will help prepare your garden for spring and ensure a beautiful and productive garden year-round. Happy gardening!
