In The Fruit Garden This June

June is a crucial month in the fruit garden: plants are growing fast, fruit is setting, and problems can spread quickly in warm weather. A bit of regular attention now makes a huge difference to summer harvests.

🍒Net soft fruit before birds find it

As strawberries, currants, cherries, and blueberries begin ripening:

• Use proper fruit netting early.
• Keep nets taut so birds don’t get trapped.
• Check daily if wildlife can access them.

Birds can strip a crop surprisingly fast once fruit colours up.

💧Water consistently during fruit swelling

Irregular watering causes:

• Split cherries
• Bitter strawberries
• Poor raspberry crops
• Dropping fruitlets

Best approach:

• Deep watering once or twice weekly
• Mulch afterwards to retain moisture

Container-grown fruit needs especially close attention in June.

🪵Mulch generously

Mulching helps:

• Retain moisture
• Suppress weeds
• Improve soil
• Reduce disease splash onto fruit

Excellent mulches:

• Garden compost
• Well-rotted manure
• Straw under strawberries
• Leaf mould

Keep mulch slightly away from stems and trunks.

🍏Thin apples and pears

After the “June drop” (natural fruit shedding), thin crowded fruits.

Aim for:

• One healthy fruit every 10–15 cm on branches

Benefits:

• Larger fruit
• Better flavour
• Reduced branch breakage
• Improved next year’s cropping

Remove damaged or misshapen fruit first.

🍓Protect strawberries from rot

As fruits swell:

• Lift fruit off soil using straw or mats
• Improve airflow
• Pick ripe fruit promptly

This greatly reduces grey mould in damp weather.

🍐Summer prune trained fruit trees

June is ideal for:

• Espaliers
• Cordons
• Fans

Trim vigorous new growth to:

• Let in light
• Improve ripening
• Keep shape manageable

Avoid heavy pruning of standard trees now.

🪢Tie in raspberries and blackberries

Fast growth can become chaotic quickly.
Secure canes before wind damage occurs.

For summer raspberries:

• Tie new green canes separately from fruiting canes if possible.

🫐 Feed hungry fruit crops

Container and soft fruit benefit from feeding now.

Good options:

• Tomato feed (high potash)
• Seaweed feed
• Homemade comfrey feed

Especially useful for:

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Gooseberries
• Currants
• Fruit in pots

Avoid excessive nitrogen or you’ll get leaves instead of fruit.

🍂Watch for common June pests and diseases

Common issues include:

• Aphids on soft fruit
• Gooseberry sawfly
• Codling moth
• Peach leaf curl
• Brown rot
• Mildew

Check plants regularly:

• Under leaves
• Around new shoots
• On developing fruit

Early action is much easier than fixing a large infestation.

🫐Protect blueberries properly

Blueberries need:

• Acidic conditions
• Consistent moisture
• Rainwater if possible in hard-water areas

Mulch with:

• Pine needles
• Bracken
• Ericaceous compost

🍓Remove strawberry runners

Unless you want new plants:

• Snip runners off regularly.
• This keeps energy focused on fruit production.

If propagating:

• Peg only the strongest runners into pots.

🍒Pick fruit frequently

Regular harvesting:

• Improves flavour
• Prevents rot
• Encourages continued production

June harvesting may include:

• Early strawberries
• Honeyberries
• Cherries (warmer regions)
• Early currants

🪴Keep fruit cages ventilated

Dense growth and warm damp weather can trigger fungal disease quickly.

Thin congested growth in:

• Gooseberries
• Currants
• Tayberries
• Jostaberries

Good airflow is one of the best disease preventatives.