Care guides › Melbourne › June
June in the Melbourne garden
Early winter in Melbourne. Cool temperate: frosty winters and warm, dry summers. Here is what needs doing this month, with the essentials first.
- What to plant 3
- What to harvest 17
- Pruning and deadheading 3
- Pests and diseases to watch for 1
- Frost and weather 1
- Tidying up 9
What to plant in June
-
Broad Bean
Sow seed direct
-
Pea
Sow seed beside a trellis
-
Onion
Plant seedlings in winter
What to harvest in June
-
Lettuce
Pick outer leaves or whole heads
-
Spinach
Pick outer leaves
-
Kale
Pick lower leaves; frost sweetens them
-
Broccoli
Cut the head while buds are tight; side shoots follow
-
Cabbage
Cut when the head feels firm
-
Leek
Lift as needed through winter
-
Orange Tree
Pick when sweet; taste one to check
-
Lemon Tree
Pick lemons as they colour; they hold on the tree
-
Passionfruit
Collect fruit as it drops; wrinkled is ripe
-
Olive Tree
Pick for curing as fruit turns from green to purple
-
Mandarin
Pick as they colour
-
Cumquat
Pick when fully orange
-
Silverbeet
Pick outer leaves as needed
-
Finger Lime
Pick when the fruit comes away with a gentle tug
-
Lemon Myrtle
Pick leaves as you need them; they dry well
-
Parsley If you have time
Pick outer stems first
-
Coriander If you have time
Pick leaves young; let a few go to seed
Pruning and deadheading
-
Salvia
Cut back to the new shoots at the base
-
Oregano If you have time
Cut back hard in winter
-
Crowea If you have time
Light trim after the main flush
Pests and diseases to watch for
-
Orange Tree, Mandarin and Cumquat If you have time
Citrus gall wasp: cut off swollen stems before spring
Frost and weather
-
Tomato, Cucumber, Capsicum, Zucchini, Runner Bean, Sweetcorn, Eggplant, Bidens, Silver Falls, Lemon Tree, Basil, Bougainvillea and Passionfruit
Frost tender: cover on frosty nights, or move pots under shelter
Tidying up
-
Dahlia
Cut back once foliage dies; lift tubers in cold, wet ground
-
Asparagus
Cut the yellowed fern to the ground
-
Echinacea If you have time
Cut old stems to the ground in winter
-
Mint If you have time
Cut back to the ground in late autumn; best kept in a pot
-
Boston Ivy If you have time
Sweep up fallen leaves and clear the gutters
-
Catmint If you have time
Cut back to the base in winter
-
Day Lily If you have time
Remove dead leaves
-
Rudbeckia If you have time
Cut back to the ground in winter
-
Rhubarb If you have time
Remove flower stalks and dead leaves
Not listed: Lime Tree, Sturt's Desert Pea, Cooktown Orchid, Illawarra Flame Tree and Tuckeroo, which don't suit Melbourne's climate.