Here are some reminders of what to do in your North Texas garden from mid to late June:
- Ornamentals and vegetables experience stress when daytime temperatures reach the 90’s. Stressed plants invite pests, and spider mites are starting to ramp up activity now. During morning
watering sessions, scout your plants. Brown, dry leaves with delicate webbing are symptoms of spider mites. Remove all leaves that show signs of damage, and discard in trash. Treat remaining plant with insecticidal soap. At this point in the summer, only spray in the early morning. This prevents leaf burn. - Tomato fruit production is slowing because of higher night-time temperatures. You might also notice that fruit size is smaller. Continue harvesting all ripening tomatoes and also small green ones – they are great for pickling or frying. Also prepare for the next phase for your plants. Either remove plants entirely for fall replacement or
prune back hard to reduce the plant’s need for water. Pests and disease are inevitable for heirloom growers right now. - Plan ahead for fall vegetables. Call local garden centers and ask what fall vegetable transplants they stock. If you started fall vegetables started from seed, keep them fed. Fertilize seedlings with half-strength, water-soluble
fertilizer once they have two sets of true leaves. Here is a fall planting calendar. - All onions and garlic should be harvested by now. While your thoughts are fresh, keep notes on variety performance for next year. Small bulbs or no bulbs at all? Check when you planted. Garlic is planted in late October and onions in late January. This gives the alliums enough time to develop lush, green tops with lots of leaves. The more leaves garlic and onions have, the bigger the bulbs will be. Learn more about growing onions in North Texas here.
- As blooms fade on perennials, trim plants black. This stimulates new growth for an even more spectacular bloom in the fall. Take care not to overwater or over-fertilize perennials. They resent both.
- Continue weekly lawn mowing. If you notice neighbors running sprinklers during the day or early evening, give them a kind reminder that lawns should only be watered in the morning. This conserves water and prevents disease.
Founder of The Dallas Garden School, Callie is an expert garden educator with 17 years of personal and professional gardening experience. She specializes in growing food, small-space gardening, managing community gardens, and plant propagation. She has an MBA from Southern Methodist University, a bachelor's degree from Skidmore College, and served as a horticulture intern for the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Callie is a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, The Herb Society of America, the National Garden Bureau, and is a Certified Texas Master Gardener.
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