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Curious what you should plant in Tucson in June? It's a great time in the low desert! Let's talk about what you can grow in June in Tucson.
Weather
June is typically the driest month in Tucson, as temperatures heat up and summer kicks off.
Average daily high usually woves from lower-90's F into the 100F+ range in June, with nights warming from mid-60's up to mid-70's.
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Overnight average lows rise from 67F to 75F during June.
If you haven't already adjusted your irrigation timing for the longest, hottest, driest days of the year, be sure that you do! I make multiple irrigation timing increases in June.
Planting
Let's look at all the things you can plant in June, grouped into categories:
Cover Crops & Forage
The first half of June is usually still cool enough to get some hot-season cover crops established if you want to improve your soil and suppress weeds threugh the summer.
Later in June when temps climb above 100F, I recommend holding off on planting more cover crops until the monsoon rains pull up.
If you grow alfalfa or cowpea, mixing some rhizobium inoculant in with the seeds if they aren't already pre-inoculated is a great way to boost their nitrogen production.
1st Half of June
BROADCAST IN FIELD:
Alfalfa, Sesame, Sorghum, Sorghum-Sudan (hybrid), Sudangrass
DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:
2nd Half of June
BROADCAST IN FIELD:
DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:
if you're using sorghum, sorghum-sudan, or sudangrass as forage, understand that these grasses produce prussic acid and cyanide under certain conditions which may affect some livestock. Do thorough research before grazing animals on these.
Herbs
June is usually not the month to be planting herbs outside, the heat will stress most herbs significantly.
You may have some success starting heat-tolerant herbs indoors from seed for transplant out with the monsoon rains - though many herbs would rather wait for an October planting when it cools off outside.
1st Half of June
SOW INDOORS:
DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:
HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:
Fruits & Vegetables
As a general rule, you can direct-sow many of the larger seeds outdoors (like squash, corn, and beans) this month in anticipation of the rains next month.
Many of the warm season plants with smaller seeds can be sown indoors, like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Transplant these out once rains come.
1st Half of June
SOW INDOORS:
Armenian Cucumber, Basil, Cannabis, Chili Pepper, Cowpea, Cucumber, Eggplant, Malabar Spinach, Okra, Roselle Hibiscus, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Tomatillo
DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:
Armenian Cucumber, Butternut Squash, Cantaloupe, Canary Melon, Cowpea, Honeydew Melon, Malabar Spinach, Pole Beans, Roselle Hibiscus, Sweet Potato (Slips), Watermelon
HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:
Armenian Cucumber, Cowpea, Eggplant, Malabar Spinach, Okra, Pole Beans, Roselle Hibiscus
2nd Half of June
SOW INDOORS:
Butternup Squash, Cannabis, Chili Pepper, Cowpea, Cucumber, Eggplant, Honeydew Melon, Malabar Spinach, Okra, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Tomatillo
DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:
HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:
Grains, Seeds, & Cereals
Flowers
1st Half of June
DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:
2nd Half of June
DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:
Harvesting
Produce
Seed Saving
Cut Flowers
Weeding
Bindweed
Bindweed is more of a winter / spring problem, but small patches of it may contiune growing in June once it's established.
This stuff is mean, so stay vigilant. It has a way of wrapping around your plants, choking them and spreading fast.
Cowpen Daisy
I don't really consider this a weed at all, but some local gardeners do so I thought I'd mention it.
They're hardy and resilent, popping up in poor sandy soil to help pump carbon down into the microbiome and keep the soil alive.
Cowpen daisy doesn't seem to smother out other plants, and disappears on its own as your soil quality increases, heading for browner pastures.
chop + drop it if it's in your way for planting, but I suggest leaving it if you aren't going to plant anything in it's place.
Spiny Sowthistle
More Tucson Planting Calendars
That's all for now, thanks for reading!
If you have any questions, comments, or would like to connect with fellow gardeners, head on over to the forum and post there.
