June is a wonderful time to get out into the garden and start sowing. The weather is lovely and warm with the promise of summer ahead of us, meaning seeds can be sown directly outside without the danger of frosts.
There are lots of vegetables that are great to plant in June with so many benefits to reap (aside from the yummy goodies themselves, of course!). Not only is gardening excellent exercise, it is proven to help your mental wellbeing, too.
And getting children involved in growing vegetables encourages an appreciation for where our food comes from, as well as the opportunity to try (and love!) a wide variety of crops.
If you are after some sustainability tips before you start, look no further. Our top tips for sustainable gardening can be found here.
We’ve listed a few of our favourite veggies to sow and grow in June below.
Spring onions
Spring onions can be planted now and harvested up until around October. You could try successional sowing, where you sow smaller amounts more frequently so that as one crop is harvested another crop is in the final stages of growth. It is a great way to help encourage continuous crop production.
Florence fennel
Fennel is a strong flavour but encouraging your child to help in the growing process is a great way to get them to try vegetables of all different shapes, tastes and sizes. Florence fennel can be sown directly outside between May and July. If utilising successional sowings every fortnight or so from June, you should be able to harvest your fennel from August until October.
Peas
Peas can be sown directly outside in June. Peas grow best in good quality, healthy soil so it’s best to add some compost to your soil before you sow. Little ones will love harvesting the bright green pods and opening them up to reveal their delicious green occupants inside!
Runner beans
Runner beans can be sown outside in June. Make sure you have some bamboo or trellis for your plant tendrils to climb up. Your little one will love seeing the bright red flowers turn into yummy beans!
Salad crops
June is great time to sow seeds for lettuce, pak choi and radishes. These are relatively fast growing so are great vegetables to get children involved in their growing. Try successional sowing as detailed above for a steady crop production.
Courgettes, marrows and pumpkins
These can be sown up until early June in southern England and Wales for an autumnal harvest. Pumpkins are particularly exciting for little ones with the promise of lanterns for Halloween!
If you’d like to learn more about how to sow and grow with your child, why not come along to a class at your local Little Muddy Boots garden?
