June is a hot month here in Central Florida. And when I say hot, I mean hot. So hot in fact, that there are very few vegetables that you can start growing here this month. If you started your garden prior to this month you might still be harvesting a few things. If you’re looking to start your first garden, or just looking for a planting guide for your current garden, then you’ve come to a good place. Keep on reading to learn what to plant in June in Central Florida — Zone 9b.
Florida Vegetables You Can Grow In June
Below are the vegetables and varieties that do well in Central Florida and when to plant them. In June you can plant both warm and cool-season plants here in Florida.
Warm Season Outdoors: Okra, southern peas, and sweet potatoes.
Warm Season Indoors: Eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.
Please note that you should not plant eggplant, peppers, or tomatoes outside this month if you do decide to start them. They should be grown indoors. Eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes do well indoors with a grow light and can be transplanted easily (unlike cucumbers and beans which are much more sensitive). I typically start mine indoors for a month or two before transplanting outdoors. Check out How to Start Seeds Indoors to learn more.
Gardening Recommendations and Tips For June
If you’re concerned about insects this month and are looking for organic methods to keep them away, pick up a bottle of neem oil. This is a concentrated version, but it’s also available in a spray bottle. It helps with aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and leaf rollers. It also helps control black spots and powdery mildew. You can also check out Neem Oil for Organic Gardening and Pest Control.
If you’re growing vegetables in June in Florida, then I definitely recommend using a Shade Cloth if you don’t have one already. Check out the post Using Shade Cloths in the Garden. I use these April-October. There are different varieties that you can choose from.
One of my favorite vegetables to start this month is Black Beauty Eggplant. Eggplant takes the longest of all the nightshades (tomatoes and peppers) to germinate and grow. They’re also the slowest to produce blossoms and fruit. Because of this, I like to grow eggplant for two months indoors before transplanting outside. This gives me a head start on the growing season. And once I harvest them I like to make Eggplant Parmesan.
When I plant from seeds I generally use Botanical Interests Seeds. They have such a wide selection of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. And they’re continually getting new seeds. They also have a good selection of organic, non-gmo seeds. And I find them reliable.
What to Plant in June in Central Florida Vegetable Guide
There are multiple varieties when it comes to vegetables that you can plant that are more tolerant for Florida’s heat and humidity. Picking the right varieties is important for your success. The varieties that work well in Florida are included in the chart below.
Below you’ll find the June Vegetable Planting Guide for Central Florida – Zone 9b
Planting dates here are based on the University of Florida IFAS Extension, and you can find more information on that here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.
And if you’re not sure what zone you’re in, you can check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. If you go to their website you can type in your zip code for confirmation of your location. The picture below is from their site:
Because I have raised garden beds, I do my planting based on square feet. Square foot gardening is included in the chart. For example – if you’re growing cabbage you only want to plant one seed per square foot. For carrots, you can plant 16 per square foot.
Days to harvest depend on the quality of your soil, so keep that in mind when waiting for your vegetables to ripen – they can take longer than the time stated above. Days to harvest are also based on when your seed germinates, and not when you plant your seed.
I hope the June Vegetable Planting Guide for Central Florida helps you with your garden!
Interested in getting a head start for next month? Check out the July Planting Guide.
I am in Zone 10, the Flats of Doom; Vero Beach, Indian River County. Can anything grow? Read that vegetables and fruits will not set fruit if temps do not drop below 70, and that’s us for five months. Anything besides eggplant we can grow outside? Frustrated, Farmer Bob
Hey Farmer Bob! Thanks for stopping by! I can only speak on what I’ve done for my garden to try to beat the heat a bit here in zone 9b.
If you’re unable to start plants indoors (and I definitely wouldn’t recommend the garage), then I would recommend trying a shade cloth over the vegetable plants you’re currently growing. This helped my nightshade plants to continue to grow during the summer, though I’ll admit fall is really the best time for tomatoes. Before using a shade cloth my nightshades would barely make it into the summer. I saw a difference using them.
June – September are the warmest months for me when low averages are above 70 degrees. My tomatoes and bell peppers are probably the most sensitive to that; the fruit doesn’t get as big as it does in the fall. The nightshades I’m growing right now are banana peppers, jalapeños, bell peppers, Chile peppers, Jimmy Nardello Peppers, moneymaker tomatoes, and I think a long purple eggplant. Moneymakers have been the best variety of tomato I’ve tried so far for our hot humid months, but I have not tried Heatmaster or Florida 101.
Here are a few things that you may already be doing, but could help with the heat. Water in the early mornings to prevent leaves from burning. Plant crops closer together to create shade (or use some sort of ground cover) to keep the soil temperatures cooler and retain water in the soil. Use varieties that can handle warmer temps (and it sounds like you are). And try a shade cloth over your plants. Hope some of that helps!
Hey! Have you tried hydroponic gardens Bob? I’m in Vero Beach also and we have two that just grow non stop! Best of luck!!
I started composting to make rich soil and I’m going to attempt to add worms I’ve seen a few worms in their not sure exactly how they got in there but I made a DIY tote it’s a huge Square tote with a lid and drill the holes in it and I take all the scraps that were recommended plus the dry and turn it trying to make rich soil I’m a very new person at the whole gardening thing that I do have two types of spinach growing crazy and I grow beets actually I cut the Rudolph and plant them when I juice them in the morning with my juices I cut the roots off all my vegetables and then I plant them and they grow that way also I don’t do it to make money I just did to save money but am looking forward to planting some vegetables maybe tomatoes and it sounds like that towards fall would be a good time I live in Citrus County any suggestions are good websites to indulge in
Kimmie, fall would be a great time to plant tomatoes! I think your hardiness zone is probably very similar to mine, meaning you can use the guides I have on this site. Check out https://mylittlegreengarden.com/florida-planting/ if you’d like. You can also try exploring IFAS: http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/florida-gardening-calendar/ Sounds like you’re doing a good job composting! 🙂
We discovered through watching a YouTube video. The best way to do worms is in a bathtub with a wooden lid on the top that put the the scraps at the bottom than the dirt and layer it they said they’d try the other way and had much better success this way
I’m in Tampa and absolutely LOVE being able to plant Okra and Sweet potatoes in my garden this time of year. Both are completely hand’s off and I can ignore them until the weather cools off again. The best part is that I can get Okra nearly every day and I can pull out tons of sweet potatoes in time to eat at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners while still having plenty left over for the remainder of the year.
I’m excited to start some items indoors this year though. I have never done eggplant and looking forward to trying that!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve found sweet potatoes are pretty hardy as well! Best of luck with the eggplant!