Year-round gardening: June checklist for Colorado gardeners
June is Colorado Pollinator Month, so it’s a great time to think about ways to add pollinator habitat to your garden. Planting native species is one way to encourage native bees and butterflies to visit. Think about varieties that help every stage of a pollinator’s life cycle.
While recent rains have provided much-needed moisture to area landscapes, remember we live in a semi-arid high desert. Proper lawn practices can make lawns more drought- and disease-resistant.
• Mow lawns to a height of 2.5-3 inches, which shades the roots and slows evaporation from the soil.
• Fertilize if you haven’t. Allowing clippings to remain on the lawn (using a mulching mower) means less fertilizing is needed. Water after 10 p.m. and before 9 a.m. Water deeply and less frequently; soil type will affect how often watering is required. This promotes deeper roots and makes the lawn less susceptible to drought. Allowing the lawn to dry out a bit between watering can discourage pests such as grubs. If you suspect a pest problem, consult the CSU El Paso County Extension Office, where master gardener volunteers can examine lawn samples and make recommendations.
Other June tasks:
• Lawns aren’t the only happy plants in the garden due to the rain; weeds are popping up all over. Pull annual weeds as they appear; their roots are small, which makes the task easier. Perennial weeds such as dandelions have deep taproots that must be removed so that they don’t grow back.
• If you’re a vegetable gardener, you might have cool-season veggies such as peas, lettuce, kale or spinach ready to harvest. Succession planting will ensure you have an ongoing harvest. Corn, beans, zucchini, cantaloupe and other melons can be planted now by seed or starts. Plant tomato seedlings deep; remove the lower leaves and bury the first leaf node. This will stimulate a better root system and give the plants more support. Pepper plants also can be planted.
• Thin asparagus spears. Allowing some spears to mature will add vigor to the plant. Watering near the soil instead of sprinkling overhead will reduce the likelihood of fungal diseases. The practice of watering at ground level benefits perennials and annuals too. Drip systems and soaker hoses are ways to achieve this.
• Deadhead spent blooms to encourage new buds. Tender bulbs and corms such as gladiolas, dahlias and cannas can be planted now, with frost less likely to damage them. Mulching perennial and vegetable beds helps to maintain soil moisture and reduce weeds.
• June is a good time to prune spring flowering shrubs such as lilac and forsythia, once they’ve finished blooming.
Submit gardening questions to csumg2@elpasoco.com or call 719-520-7684. The help desk is open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at 17 N. Spruce St. Find us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners – El Paso County.
A swallowtail on butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) in North Cheyenne Cañon Park in Colorado Springs. June is Colorado Pollinator Month.
A swallowtail on chokecherry (Prunus virginiana).