What You Can Still Sow Directly in June
June is actually the last safe month for several warm-season crops in Ireland. If you haven’t started these yet, do it now — waiting until July is too late for a useful harvest.
Courgettes and Squash
Courgettes are forgiving but they need time. If you sow outdoors in early June (week 1–2), you can realistically harvest from August. Leave it until mid-June and you’re gambling on a long autumn.
Sow two seeds per module or pot, thin to the stronger seedling. Courgettes don’t need heat to germinate — they’ll come up at 15°C — but they need space once they get going. Leave 1m between plants. Irish varieties worth using: Astia (compact, good for smaller plots), Eight Ball (round, sets fruit fast), or just the standard All Green Bush from any Irish supplier.
Winter squash (butternut etc.) is borderline for most of Ireland — the season isn’t quite long enough without a polytunnel. If you’re in a polytunnel, sow now. If not, skip butternut and plant a faster-maturing squash like Uchiki Kuri.
French Beans (Dwarf)
Sow directly where they’ll grow — French beans hate transplanting. About 5cm deep, 15cm apart. They’re faster than runners (55–65 days to harvest) and more reliable in Ireland’s shorter summer.
Good varieties: Safari, Cobra (dwarf), The Prince. Climbing French beans also work in Ireland; they need support but you’ll get more from a smaller footprint. Sow until mid-June. Later than that and you’re harvesting in September’s wet, which invites mould.
Runner Beans
If you haven’t planted runner beans yet, you’re a little late but not out of luck. Sow under cover in early June, plant out when there’s no sign of cold nights. They need a solid support structure — 2m canes minimum. Scarlet Emperor is the classic. White Lady is a heavier cropper with less stringiness.
Salad Leaves (Succession Sowing)
June is the month to nail succession sowing of salads. Sow a small row every 2–3 weeks from now through August for continuous cut-and-come-again. In June heat, lettuces bolt fast — choose heat-tolerant varieties like Lollo Rosso, Oakleaf, or batavian types rather than standard butterheads, which will bolt within a few weeks.
Rocket also bolts quickly in warm spells. Substitute with wild rocket (slower to bolt) or mizuna if you want a peppery leaf through summer.
Beetroot
Direct sow is fine all the way through to early July. Soak seeds overnight for better germination. Thin to 10cm. Boltardy is the standard reliable Irish choice — bolt-resistant, earthy flavour. Chioggia (candy stripe) is faster if you want baby beets by August.
Carrots
June sown carrots will be ready September/October — excellent timing for a good autumn store. Nantes types (Autumn King, Nelson) do well in Irish conditions. Key: thin ruthlessly to 5–8cm. Overcrowded carrots fork. Weed carefully when small — carrot seedlings are slow and will lose to grass without your help.
Turnips and Kohl Rabi
Fast-maturing roots that can be sown in June and harvested in 6–8 weeks. Good for filling gaps left by harvested broad beans or garlic. Kohl rabi is underused in Ireland — it’s mild, versatile, and almost bulletproof.
What to Plant Out in June (Transplants)
These should already be started (under cover from April/May). June is when they go outside for good:
Outdoor Tomatoes
Outdoor tomatoes in Ireland only work in a good summer, south-facing position, or with some cloche protection. But if you have that, plant them out now once nights are reliably above 10°C. Bush varieties are better outdoors than cordons — less staking, more forgiving. Tumbling Tom (hanging basket), Gardener’s Delight (cherry, reliable), Sub-Arctic Plenty (bred for cool conditions — the Irish choice).
If you’re growing in a polytunnel, you’re in a different world — cordon varieties like Alicante or Shirley will produce well from August onwards.
Cucumbers (Polytunnel Only)
Cucumbers are not a realistic outdoor crop in most of Ireland. In a polytunnel, plant your cucumber plants now — they need a long warm season and the tunnel's heat. Provide a vertical support. Passandra and Marketmore are reliable. Water consistently or you’ll get bitter fruits.
Brassicas for Winter: Start Now
This is the most important sowing of June that most beginners miss. If you want winter greens — purple sprouting broccoli, kale, savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts — you need to start them in June to have plants big enough to survive winter.
- Purple sprouting broccoli (PSB) — sow June, plant out August, harvest Feb/March. One of the most useful Irish winter crops.
- Kale — sow June, plant out July, harvest from November. Cavolo nero, Red Russian, Starbor. Hard to kill and nutritious through winter.
- Savoy cabbage — sow June for an autumn/early winter head. Savoys are more frost-tolerant than regular cabbage varieties.
- Brussels sprouts — strictly speaking should be started in April/May, but an early June sowing in a warm spot can still work. You’ll harvest from November rather than October.
Sow brassicas in trays or pots, prick out when big enough to handle, grow on in a sheltered spot, and transplant to their final position in July when they’re 10–15cm tall. Firm planting — brassicas need stability.
What You Can Harvest in June
This is the “hungry gap” shoulder month in Ireland — the winter/spring crops are finishing and summer ones aren’t ready yet. If you planned well in early spring, you should be harvesting:
- Broad beans (early varieties sown in autumn or early spring)
- Early peas (sown March/April under cover)
- Radishes (fast from April sowings)
- Spring onions and scallions
- Garlic (lift when lower leaves have yellowed — usually mid-June)
- First early potatoes (if you planted mid-March)
- Overwintered chard and spinach (nearing the end of its season)
- Spring-sown salad leaves, cut-and-come-again
- Strawberries (from mid-June in most of Ireland — the best thing about June)
Where to Buy Seeds and Plants in June
Many garden centres are still stocking courgette, squash, and bean seeds in June. For heritage and specialist varieties, Irish Seed Savers (Scarriff, Clare) is the source — they carry heirloom varieties not available elsewhere. Quickcrop has the broadest general range online. For plug plants (if you’ve left it late and want to skip the germination stage), most garden centres have courgette, leek, and brassica plugs in June.
What You’ve Already Missed (But Can Try Next Year)
Honest about timing: if you haven’t done these by now, it’s too late for this season in Ireland:
- Outdoor peppers and chillies (need to be started February/March to ripen in Ireland)
- Early peas (need March/April sowing for a June harvest)
- Onion sets (should be in the ground by mid-May)
- Main-crop potatoes from tubers (past the safe planting window)
- Sweetcorn (needs to be started under cover in May for any realistic harvest)
None of these are disasters — just shift them to the top of next year’s list. Plant more brassicas and salads instead.
Monthly Calendar at a Glance
| Crop | Action | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Courgettes | Direct sow or plant out | Early June (weeks 1–2) |
| French beans (dwarf) | Direct sow | All June |
| Runner beans | Sow under cover / plant out | Early–mid June |
| Salad leaves | Succession sow direct | Every 2–3 weeks |
| Beetroot | Direct sow | All June into early July |
| Carrots (autumn) | Direct sow | All June |
| PSB, kale, savoy | Sow in trays | Early–mid June |
| Outdoor tomatoes | Plant out (if started) | Once nights above 10°C |
| Cucumbers (tunnel) | Plant out in polytunnel | Early June |
| Garlic | Harvest (when leaves yellow) | Mid–late June |