{"id":1948,"date":"2025-06-20T14:10:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T21:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2025-06-20T14:11:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T21:11:59","slug":"southern-california-garden-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/southern-california-garden-june\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do in a Southern California food garden in June"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>June is the lush month. June is the jungle month, particularly toward the end. The days are at their longest and they are warm, so the garden begins to look verdant and tangled in a most wonderful way. Melon vines overtake your walking paths. Corn stalks tower overhead. Cherry tomato plants drip with red fruit. Cucumbers climb (pictured above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I make sure to take pictures of my garden around the solstice in late June since it never looks more bountiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there&#8217;s also a sense of urgency this month. It is your last chance&nbsp;to plant most of those warm-season vegetables. Put them in now or they won&#8217;t have enough time in the heat of summer to mature as large a crop. (The main exceptions are corn and beans, which can be successfully sown in July.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are details on doings in the vegetable garden, some fruit tree thoughts, and a few other uniquely June opportunities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sow and plant<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Sow or plant these vegetables: basil, beans, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-corn-in-southern-california\/\">corn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-cucumbers-in-southern-california\/\">cucumber<\/a>, sweet potato, tomatillo, chard, chives<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Plant seedlings of these vegetables: eggplant, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-peppers-in-southern-california\/\">peppers<\/a>, melon, pumpkin, squash, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-tomatoes-in-southern-california\/\">tomato<\/a>; if seeds of these vegetables are sown in June, especially later in the month, there&#8217;s a real risk of only getting a small crop&nbsp;before it cools too much at the end of the year since they take a long time to grow from seed to harvestable&nbsp;fruit<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tomato-ripe-in-June.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"836\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tomato-ripe-in-June.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20535\" style=\"width:391px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tomato-ripe-in-June.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tomato-ripe-in-June-480x502.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">First tomatoes ripen on June 17, 2020. This is also the time to plant a few new ones for fall harvests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Be aware of planting <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-cilantro-in-southern-california\/\">cilantro<\/a>: sorry to rain on your salsa parade, but cilantro is not well-suited to growing in the summer in Southern California; you&#8217;d think it would grow well with other salsa ingredients like tomatoes and peppers, but it won&#8217;t; it will start to flower fast because of the warm weather so don&#8217;t expect an extended harvest; cilantro grows more slowly and harvests longer in the cooler weather of fall, winter, and early spring; from June through summer, I grow cilantro in pots that I place in partial shade<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Sow or plant <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/green-bean-shade\/\">pole&nbsp;beans to be used as temporary, summer shade<\/a> on east- or west-facing walls or windows by growing&nbsp;them up strings under an eave; you can also use <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/grapevine-on-eave-to-shade-house\/\">grapes for the purpose of shading a house<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Consider growing your own Halloween pumpkins and decorative fall corn; now&#8217;s the time to plant those in order to harvest by late October; most years, I grow the colorful corn variety called Glass Gem, which I posted photos of <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/glass-gem-corn-and-happy-thanksgiving\/\">here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Plant avocado, banana, mango, and citrus trees; they feel right at home in the warmth of late spring and early summer and soon prove it to you with a flush of new leaves, which gives you an immediate sense of success that you won&#8217;t get when planting in most of the rest of the year; if you plant an avocado, be sure to water it properly in it&#8217;s first few months: see my post <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/how-to-water-a-new-avocado-tree\/\">&#8220;How to water a new avocado tree&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Gem-on-Zerala-from-Brokaw-planted-June-2023.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"813\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Gem-on-Zerala-from-Brokaw-planted-June-2023.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20512\" style=\"width:413px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Gem-on-Zerala-from-Brokaw-planted-June-2023.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Gem-on-Zerala-from-Brokaw-planted-June-2023-480x488.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">GEM on Zerala rootstock that I planted in June of 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Harvest and eat vegetables<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Harvest these vegetables and grains (had you planted them in the fall\/winter): <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-potatoes-in-southern-california\/\">potatoes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-onions-in-southern-california\/\">onion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-garlic-in-southern-california\/\">garlic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-wheat-in-southern-california\/\">wheat<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-fava-beans-in-southern-california\/\">fava beans<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/potatoes-harvested-June-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/potatoes-harvested-June-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23502\" style=\"width:545px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/potatoes-harvested-June-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/potatoes-harvested-June-1-980x654.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/potatoes-harvested-June-1-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Potatoes harvested June 1, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Red-Rock-onions-harvested-early-June.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"744\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Red-Rock-onions-harvested-early-June.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15109\" style=\"width:366px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Red-Rock-onions-harvested-early-June.jpg 600w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Red-Rock-onions-harvested-early-June-480x595.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 600px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Red Rock onions harvested June 10, 2021 (sown October 24, 2020).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/wheat-ready-for-harvest-early-June-2024.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"899\" height=\"879\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/wheat-ready-for-harvest-early-June-2024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20530\" style=\"width:414px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/wheat-ready-for-harvest-early-June-2024.jpg 899w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/wheat-ready-for-harvest-early-June-2024-480x469.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 899px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wheat ready for harvest in early June 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Harvest these vegetables (had you planted them in the winter\/spring): tomatoes, tomatillos, corn, greens, broccoli, peas, lettuce, beets, carrots, peppers, cabbage, zucchini<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zucchini-ready-for-harvest-June-2022.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zucchini-ready-for-harvest-June-2022.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20525\" style=\"width:516px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zucchini-ready-for-harvest-June-2022.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zucchini-ready-for-harvest-June-2022-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">First zucchinis near ready to harvest in late June 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Don&#8217;t fret over tomatoes that have blossom end rot (rotten bottom of the fruit); it happens often to the first fruits of May and June but not to the later fruits of summer; it also happens more to certain varieties (e.g. San Marzano); there&#8217;s nothing you can do about it despite what someone selling a product might claim (it&#8217;s just a symptom of the cooler weather of spring\/early summer); incidentally, if you do apply a product for blossom end rot this month, you&#8217;ll find that &#8212; voila! &#8212; it works: the placebo effect<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Harvest and eat fruit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Eat these berries and fruits (had you planted them): <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-blueberries-in-southern-california\/\">blueberries<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-strawberries-in-containers\/\">strawberries<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-raspberries-in-southern-california\/\">raspberries<\/a>, blackberries, avocados (<a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/the-hass-avocado-tree-a-profile\/\">Hass<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile\/\">GEM<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/what-happened-to-the-gwen-avocado\/\">Gwen<\/a>, Luna), Valencia oranges, lemons and limes, Pixie and <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/the-gold-nugget-mandarin-tree-a-profile\/\">Gold Nugget<\/a> mandarins, cherries (Lapins, Brooks), apricots, early peaches and nectarines, plums, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/passion-fruit-best-edible-evergreen-vine\/\">passion fruit<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/eating-pineapple-guava-flowers\/\">pineapple guava flowers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/blueberries-ripe-in-early-June.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"899\" height=\"705\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/blueberries-ripe-in-early-June.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20506\" style=\"width:472px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/blueberries-ripe-in-early-June.jpg 899w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/blueberries-ripe-in-early-June-480x376.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 899px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Blueberries ripe for picking on June 6, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/raspberries-southern-california-june-2023.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/raspberries-southern-california-june-2023.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20509\" style=\"width:521px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/raspberries-southern-california-june-2023.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/raspberries-southern-california-june-2023-480x350.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raspberries in my yard, June 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/A-basket-of-GEM-avocados.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/A-basket-of-GEM-avocados-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10676\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A basket of GEM avocados.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Snow-Queen-nectarines-harvest-late-June-2022.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"749\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Snow-Queen-nectarines-harvest-late-June-2022.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20518\" style=\"width:432px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Snow-Queen-nectarines-harvest-late-June-2022.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Snow-Queen-nectarines-harvest-late-June-2022-480x399.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Snow Queen nectarines I harvested in late June 2022. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>(Why do I mention what you could be harvesting and eating? So you can plan. If you want to be harvesting tomatoes next June, then plant them next March. If you want to be eating avocados from your yard in June, then plant a Hass or GEM or Gwen tree.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Now that harvests of tomatoes and peaches, etc. are starting, you may find competition from local wildlife; here&#8217;s help dealing with <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/dealing-with-squirrels-in-a-food-garden\/\">squirrels <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/rats-protecting-your-garden-fruits-and-vegetables\/\">rats<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Get some chicks; it&#8217;s warm enough at night now so they&#8217;ll be comfortable outside at a very young age; <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/should-you-get-chickens\/\">&#8220;Should you get chickens?&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chick-in-early-June-2024.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"751\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chick-in-early-June-2024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20528\" style=\"width:532px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chick-in-early-June-2024.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chick-in-early-June-2024-480x401.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chick added to our flock, June 7, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Chad-chick-following-PJ.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"611\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Chad-chick-following-PJ.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23504\" style=\"width:523px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Chad-chick-following-PJ.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Chad-chick-following-PJ-980x599.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Chad-chick-following-PJ-480x293.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is a chick that the kids named Chad. He&#8217;s following his mother hen in June 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Water plants for &#8220;thrival&#8221; not mere survival; don&#8217;t make the mistake that I have in some past summers&nbsp;of being stingy with water on vegetables and fruit trees, which lowers production and defeats the point; if you scratch&nbsp;into the dirt around the roots of your plants, you&#8217;ll know for sure how much water they have access to, as I wrote about in <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/get-your-hands-dirty-discover-the-truth-about-your-irrigation-practices\/\">this post<\/a>; also see, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/how-much-to-water-a-fruit-tree-in-southern-california-roughly\/\">&#8220;How much to water a fruit tree in Southern California, roughly&#8221;<\/a>; and <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/my-watering-schedules-for-vegetables-and-fruit-trees\/\">&#8220;My watering schedules for vegetables and fruit trees&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Are you feeding the bees? In June in my yard I see them on oregano, sunflowers, buckwheat, coreopsis, sumac, woolly blue curls, cosmos, gaillardia, and phacelia cicutaria; see my post, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/flowers-for-bees-all-year-in-southern-california\/\">&#8220;Flowers for bees all year round in Southern California&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/native-bee-on-coreopsis.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/native-bee-on-coreopsis.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23508\" style=\"width:563px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/native-bee-on-coreopsis.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/native-bee-on-coreopsis-980x654.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/native-bee-on-coreopsis-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Native bee on coreopsis flower in June. Photo taken by my nine-year-old son.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Have a realistic understanding of avocado fruit drop; you see small fruit forming on your tree in June and then many fall off;  check out my post: <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/avocado-fruit-drop-why-when-how-many\/\">&#8220;Avocado fruit drop: Why? When? How many?&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Pomegranate flowers should be turning into small fruit in June; read about why some don&#8217;t in my post: <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/pomegranate-flowers\/\">&#8220;Pomegranate flowers&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pomegranate-flowers-in-June-reduced.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"753\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pomegranate-flowers-in-June-reduced.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23512\" style=\"width:487px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pomegranate-flowers-in-June-reduced.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pomegranate-flowers-in-June-reduced-980x738.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pomegranate-flowers-in-June-reduced-480x361.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Appreciate and observe the summer solstice (June 20): Have a late dinner out in the yard while you notice where the sun sets &#8212; isn&#8217;t it fascinating how far northwest it falls below the horizon on this day? Or perhaps more challenging, wake at sunrise and notice how northeast it appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>All of my Yard Posts are listed <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/list-of-yard-posts\/\">HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the Supporters, this website has no ads disrupting your reading experience or influencing its content. Learn how you can support The Yard Posts <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/supporting-the-yard-posts\/\">HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June is the lush month. June is the jungle month, particularly toward the end. The days are at their longest and they are warm, so the garden begins to look verdant and tangled in a most wonderful way. Melon vines overtake your walking paths. Corn stalks tower overhead. Cherry tomato plants drip with red fruit. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,72],"tags":[85,15,42,84,70,45],"class_list":["post-1948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-june","category-month-by-month","tag-cilantro","tag-citrus","tag-corn","tag-nectarine","tag-pruning","tag-tomatoes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What to do in a Southern California food garden in June - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/southern-california-garden-june\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to do in a Southern California food garden in June - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"June is the lush month. June is the jungle month, particularly toward the end. The days are at their longest and they are warm, so the garden begins to look verdant and tangled in a most wonderful way. Melon vines overtake your walking paths. Corn stalks tower overhead. Cherry tomato plants drip with red fruit. 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