In the event you spend time in an Arizona backyard in June, you’ll seemingly get pleasure from bountiful harvests and exquisite blooms, particularly early within the month. Spring and warm-season crops are wrapping up, and harvest baskets are sometimes full. However because the month progresses, the backyard shifts from manufacturing to survival.
June is usually the driest and one of many hottest months within the low desert. With a mean excessive of 105°F (40.6°C) and solely 0.12 inches of rain, your crops, timber, and soil really feel the pressure. This month generally is a turning level—what you do now might help your backyard endure the tough summer time forward.
On this submit, you’ll discover ways to maximize your backyard’s potential in June:
Which important duties to sort out
How a lot and the way typically to water
Widespread pests to look at for
The way to hold crops wholesome by way of the warmth
While you’re working within the backyard this month, stick with the cooler morning or night hours and keep hydrated.
Questioning what to plant this month? Head over to the What to Plant in June weblog submit for an in depth checklist of greens, herbs, and flowers that develop properly within the low desert this time of yr.
Obtain the Jne Backyard Guidelines on the prime of this submit to remain on monitor all month lengthy.
This information is designed for low-desert gardeners within the Southwest, together with areas with elevations under 3,500 ft, reminiscent of Phoenix, Tucson, and surrounding communities.
Click on on the title to leap to that part and be taught extra about what to do throughout June:
Vegetable Gardening within the Low Desert Arizona Backyard in June
Keep Forward of the Warmth
This month, sizzling, dry temperatures are affecting the backyard. Right timing, watering, shade, and mulching are important.
Mulch: In the event you haven’t already, add a thick layer (3–5 inches) of mulch to your backyard beds. I exploit the wooden chip mulch from Arizona Worm Farm.
Shade: Use shade material to guard annual greens, or plant them in areas that obtain afternoon shade. I exploit this shade material to scale back solar stress.
Harvest and Transition
Onions and Garlic: Harvest any remaining onions and garlic at the start of the month and treatment them indoors.
Cucumbers: In case your cucumbers are bitter, warmth stands out as the trigger. Take away these crops and swap to Armenian-type cucumbers, which don’t get bitter. Be taught extra about bitter cucumbers on this weblog submit.
Beans: Heat-season bush beans end up this month. Change them with heat-loving sorts like asparagus beans or black-eyed peas. Right here’s how you can develop asparagus beans.
Tomato Ideas for Summer season
Excessive Night time Temps: As soon as nighttime temperatures keep above 75°F (24°C), tomato pollen is probably not viable and fruit set can gradual.
Ripening Indoors: If tomatoes are gradual to ripen, carry them inside as soon as they present a flush of shade. Learn to ripen tomatoes indoors.
Plan Forward: Begin seeds indoors for a monsoon tomato planting. Verify the planting lists for different seeds to start out now.
Summer season Soil Care
Handle Summer season Crops
Melons: Present help for trellis-grown watermelon and cantaloupe as they start to develop heavier.
Squash & Different Heat-Season Crops: Take away any crops which can be now not producing or present indicators of warmth stress or illness.
Look ahead to Illness
Vegetable Watering Pointers for June
June might be one of the vital difficult months on your backyard. Each overwatering and underwatering can stress or injury crops—getting it proper is essential.
Verify Your System: In the event you haven’t already, examine your irrigation system and timer. Run the system to test for leaks, clogged emitters, and guarantee all areas are being watered accurately.
Modify for the Warmth: As temperatures rise, annual greens want extra frequent watering. Purpose to water to a depth of 8–12 inches each 2–4 days, permitting the highest of the soil to dry out between waterings.
Raised Mattress Tip: I exploit the Backyard Grids from Backyard in Minutes to water my raised beds effectively and evenly. Use code ANGELA10 to avoid wasting $10 off $100 or ANGELA to avoid wasting 7% on any order.
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Low Desert Arizona in June: Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month
Widespread Backyard Pests to Look ahead to in June
Squash and Melon Pests
Squash Bugs: Monitor squash and melon crops for squash bugs in all phases—adults, eggs, and nymphs. Preserve a bucket of soapy water close by to drop them into. This weblog submit explains how you can forestall and deal with squash bugs.
Leaf Miners on Melons: Leaf miners might be discovered on cantaloupe and different melons. Take away affected leaves to gradual the unfold.
Tomatillo and Floor Cherry Pests
Three-Lined Potato Bugs: These pests are a standard nuisance on tomatillos and floor cherries. If noticed, test crops a number of occasions a day and drop them into soapy water. If populations develop too giant, it might be finest to take away the plant totally.
Search for: Eggs, larvae, and grownup beetles.
Sunflowers and Roses
Aphids and Lace Bugs: You should still see aphids or chrysanthemum lace bugs on sunflowers. Hopefully, useful bugs like lacewings and ladybugs are already at work. If not, you may take away broken leaves and spray off the bugs with water.
Leaf-Cutter Bees: Round notches in leaves on roses, pomegranates, or different crops are attributable to leaf-cutter bees. This beauty injury is innocent. These solitary bees are glorious pollinators and never a trigger for concern.
Tomato, Pepper, and Eggplant Pests
Tomato Hornworms: Look ahead to insect frass (droppings) or chewed leaves as indicators of tomato hornworms. Look intently on stems and leaves, handpick them, and feed to chickens when you’ve got them.
Search for: Giant inexperienced caterpillars and their droppings.
Bean Pests
Grape Vines
Grapeleaf Skeletonizers: These caterpillars can shortly defoliate grape vines. If caught early, take away affected leaves and handpick eggs and caterpillars. For bigger infestations, deal with with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), utilizing it solely on affected areas and as directed.
Pomegranate Timber
Leaf-Footed Bugs: Monitor intently for all phases—eggs, nymphs, and adults. Day by day vigilance and hand elimination into soapy water is the best technique for controlling this troublesome pest.
Wildlife and Useful Bugs:
Lovebirds and lesser goldfinch are generally seen on sunflowers this time of yr. They love the seeds, and the lesser goldfinch additionally get pleasure from consuming the leaves. I like watching them within the backyard.
Bees, hoverflies, wasps, lacewings, praying mantids, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, murderer bugs, and different useful bugs are lively now.
Gulf fritillary butterflies in all phases, swallowtail butterflies, hummingbirds
Low Desert Arizona in June: Container Gardening Ideas
If doable, put small containers away till the autumn. The soil from the containers can be utilized as mulch or added to compost.
Transfer containers to areas of your yard that obtain afternoon shade naturally.
Group containers and develop baggage shut collectively for an insulating impact.
Container Watering Pointers:
As temperatures rise, intently monitoring containers and watering them incessantly is essential. You will have to water day-after-day. In the event you’re unsure, use a moisture meter to test soil moisture ranges.
If containers dry out an excessive amount of, the soil might develop into hydrophobic. When watering, test the soil to make sure water is absorbed and never repelled by hydrophobic soil.
Add ollas to containers to assist with watering throughout the summer time. I exploit ollas from Growoya.
In the event you’re utilizing containers in a sizzling local weather, Elevated Backyard Mattress Ideas for Scorching Climates shares methods to assist your backyard thrive when temperatures soar.
Flower Gardening within the Low Desert Arizona Backyard in June
Flower Watering Pointers:
As temperatures rise, annual flowers would require extra frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches each 2-4 days; enable the highest of the soil to dry out earlier than watering once more.
The Perpetual Annual Flower Planting Calendar, accessible in my store, helps you be taught when to plant flowers within the low desert of Arizona and whether or not to plant seeds or transplants.
Fruit & Fruit Timber within the Low Desert Arizona Backyard in June
Fruit Tree Care in June
Mulch and Feed Timber:In the event you haven’t already, apply mulch round your timber. Including worm castings, compost, and mulch thrice a yr helps defend timber from intense summer time warmth. Be taught extra on this weblog submit.
Shade and Water Younger Timber:Shade newly planted fruit timber and monitor watering intently to assist them survive their first summer time.
Fruit to Harvest This Month
Citrus Care in June
Count on Fruit Drop:Some fruit drop this month is regular—referred to as “June Drop,” it’s the tree’s approach of self-thinning to match what it will probably help by way of summer time. No want for concern.
Water Persistently:June is commonly the driest month of the yr, so constant, deep watering is crucial to assist citrus timber deal with the intense warmth.
Take away Previous Fruit:As soon as citrus fruits soften, take away any remaining fruit from the tree to keep away from pests and illness.
Defend Uncovered Bark:Paint or wrap uncovered citrus trunks to stop sunburn. Learn this weblog submit to discover ways to defend citrus bark from solar injury.
Fruit Watering Pointers: 2, 3
Monitor your fruit timber for indicators of water stress. Leaf curling is normally the primary noticeable signal. Moist the soil from the tree trunk to only previous the tree’s drip line.
Established citrus timber ought to be watered as soon as each 7-14 days to a 2-3 ft depth.
Water annual fruit and excessive water use vines each 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
Water established fruit timber each 7-10 days to a depth of 18-24″.
Grape vines want deep watering each 5 days.
Water annual fruit and excessive water use vines each 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
Herb Gardening within the Low Desert, Arizona Backyard in June
Preserve basil in the reduction of above two units of leaves to encourage branching and a full plant.
Enable bolting/flowering dill, cilantro, fennel, and parsley to stay within the backyard. This is likely one of the finest methods to draw useful bugs to your backyard; be taught extra on this weblog submit.
Harvest perennial herbs like sage, rosemary & thyme frivolously all through the summer time. Delay heavy pruning till fall.
Harvest oregano this month. It’ll flower quickly if it hasn’t already. Take pleasure in and protect the harvest by dehydrating or freeze-drying.
Herb Watering Pointers:
As temperatures warmth up, annual herbs will want extra frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches each 2-4 days; enable the highest of the soil to dry out earlier than watering once more.
Water desert-adapted panorama perennial herbs (like rosemary) each 7-21 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
Many Mediterranean herbs, reminiscent of sage, rosemary, lavender, oregano, and thyme, usually tend to die from overwatering and root rot in the summertime than from underwatering. Take care to not overwater them.
Panorama Vegetation within the Low Desert Arizona Backyard in June
Maintain Off on Pruning and Fertilizing:Keep away from pruning or fertilizing timber, shrubs, and panorama crops this month. It encourages tender new development that’s simply sunburned when temperatures exceed 100°F (38°C).
Don’t Plant (With One Exception):June isn’t the time so as to add new crops, timber, or shrubs—warmth stress makes it troublesome for them to ascertain.
Exception: Palms. They thrive when planted in heat soil. Preserve roots well-hydrated and help the plant whereas it establishes.
Look ahead to Stinknet (Oncosiphon piluliferum):In the event you see stinknet, pull and eliminate it instantly—earlier than it goes to seed. If the plant is already dry, deal with it fastidiously, bag it, and toss it within the trash to keep away from spreading hundreds of seeds.
Contemplating Bermuda Grass Elimination?Now’s a good time to start out. Be taught extra about eradicating Bermuda grass on this weblog submit.
Shade for Younger Plantings:Present shade for any plantings lower than 1 yr previous in the event that they present indicators of stress. Monitor the foundation ball intently to stop it from drying out. This weblog submit outlines efficient shade options
Panorama Watering Pointers: 2
Give panorama crops an extended, deep soak at the start of the month to organize them for June’s sizzling, dry climate. Water ought to penetrate under the beneficial 2-3 foot regular depths to leach the salts that construct up in root zones and recharge the dry soil.
Desert-adapted timber, shrubs & vines each 7-21 days (water to a depth of 24-36″ timber / 18-24″ shrubs / 8-12″ vines).
Excessive water use timber each 7-10 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
Excessive water use shrubs each 5-7 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).
Excessive water use vines each 2-5 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).
Sources:
1 – For additional studying, please discuss with the unique article: “College of Delaware Cooperative Extension. (2023). Key Methods for Soybean Administration.” https://websites.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=4489.
2 – For added info on watering practices, go to: “Affiliation of Municipal Water Customers Authority. (2023). Landscaping with Fashion within the Arizona Desert.” https://www.amwua.org/landscaping-with-style.
3 – https://extension.arizona.edu/websites/extension.arizona.edu/information/pubs/az1151-2021percent20percent282percent29.pdf
