June is a great time to sow seeds and plant young plants, as both air and soil temperatures are high so the plants get off to a good start. Bear in mind, however, that dry periods and drought can inhibit plant growth, due to the lack of moisture in the soil, so you may need to be on hand to provide extra water when necessary.

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Lots of vegetable and flower seeds can be sown in June, either to crop or bloom within a few weeks or – in the case of biennials like foxgloves – to overwinter for the following summer. Seeds of flowering annuals sown in June will provide a splash of colour in late-summer to autumn, after many others have finished blooming.

Find out which flowers and vegetables you can plant in June, below.

Vegetables to plant in June

Pak choi

Pak choi
A row of pak-choi ready to pick

Pak choi is a leafy vegetable, perfect for adding crisp texture and fresh taste to salads and stir-fries, with a flavour similar to something in between cabbage and spinach. Sow direct in shallow drills or in pots. Now's also a good time to plant out young pak choi plants sown last month.

Spring onions

Spring onions sowing
Sowing spring onion seeds

Spring onions can be sown from March to August, and successional sowings every few weeks will ensure you have a continuous crop. Sow direct into shallow drills – spring onions also do well in pots but they do need a lot of moisture.

Broccoli

Sowing calabrese
Sowing calabrese seeds into a small pot

Late sprouting broccoli cultivars and calabrese can both be sown in June. Sow direct in well-prepared soil or into multi-celled trays to plant out later. Now is also a good time to plant out broccoli and calabrese plants sown the previous month.

Florence fennel

Florence fennel
A row of Florence fennel

Florence fennel can be sown direct in June. Successional sowings every couple of weeks from May to July should ensure harvests from around August to October. Sow into well-prepared soil and thin the seedlings to 30cm.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins
A harvest of pumpkins amongst nasturtium flowers

Early June is your last time to sow pumpkins, to provide them with plenty of warm days to develop size and good flavour. Remember to choose your seeds wisely. Large pumpkin cultivars are often bred for size alone, so if you're growing pumpkins to eat, choose a cultivar with good flavour. Sow direct into fertile soil or into individual pots to plant out later.

Flowers to plant in June

Poached egg plant, Limnanthes

Limnanthes
Golden and lemon flowers of the poached egg plant

With its distinctive white and yellow flowers, the aptly named poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii) is a lovely hardy annual to grow. It should self-seed freely and naturalise in the garden.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums
Orange, trumpet-shaped nasturtiums

Colourful and easy to grow, nasturtiums are great for filling borders and training to climb up a trellis. They also work well as companion plants for veg crops, including French beans, soybeans and runner beans.

Coreopsis

Coreopsis x hybrida
A variety of coreopsis flowers

June is the last month of the year for sowing coreopsis outdoors. Try 'Incredible Dwarf Mixed' (pictured), which produces a froth of attractive, cheery flowers. Coreopsis is one of the best plants for containers, too.

Night-scented stock

Night-scented stock
Mauve night-scented stocks

Night-scented stock can still be sown now, to ensure you have blooms right up until the first frosts. Deadhead regularly to encourage a further flush of colour.

Candelabra primulas

Primula japonica
Red-pink primula blooms

By June, many candelabra primulas will have finished blooming and set seed, so now is the perfect time to gather the seed and sow it fresh for more plants the following year.

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