A clean and tidy garden is a healthy one, which means less problems with pests and diseases. Learn to be observant and spot those first warning signs, it will save you time and money!

June is a busy time on the allotment. The nights should now be frost-free, and the days are long, which gives you plenty of time to get on with the jobs that need doing. There are lots of jobs to do, including planting courgettes and runner beans, watering during hot spells and, of course, harvesting.

Here are some key allotment jobs for June.

One of last months tips was to make sure you kept up with your watering. That certainly started something with what happened in May! Do watch out for hot sunny days though, particularly in the greenhouse. When watering outside, do it early or late in the day, to avoid evaporation.

As temperatures rise, so do the numbers of slugs and snails, so keep a close watch. As darkness comes, you can make a trip around the garden with a torch and remove the offenders. 

There’s an old saying that ‘Cleanliness is close to Godliness’ and the same applies to the garden. Wash and clean all growing containers, clean water butts, greenhouses, watering cans etc. Pick up twigs, dead leaves and other debris and of course endeavour to keep your garden weed-free! You will be surprised how you reduce the incidence of pests and diseases!

Indoor gardening – gardening doesn’t have to be outside; here are a few suggestions for windowsill growing:

Firstly, just a reminder, seed and plant suppliers were swamped with orders last spring with the increased interest in gardening, lockdowns etc. so get those orders in early!

The weather may be cold, wet and windy, so there will be some days when your best gardening can be done by finding a comfy chair by the fire with a cup of coffee and getting online to order some seed and plant catalogues.