June is a time for harvesting in the vegetable garden. But if you think the time of sowing and planting is over: think again! June offers us gardeners the perfect opportunity to maximize our growing season with strategic plantings. If you want to harvest fresh produce all year round, this month presents ideal conditions for both cool-season succession plantings and warm-season varieties that thrive in the longer, sunnier days ahead. The keyword here is succession planting. After all, we don’t want to have an overwhelming harvest once and afterwards only empty patches. Smart planning this month sets the foundation for a productive garden that bridges the gap between spring’s early greens and summer’s abundance. To get an overview, I’ve prepared a list of vegetables to sow and plant in June.
Seed-start indoors
If you’re new to seed-starting, you may want to read up and learn about all the necessary steps and equipment. Also, as it’s warm enough now and I like to have my windowsills back to normal, I usually seed-start now in the greenhouse. Let’s have a look at what can be sown indoors in June:
Brassicas
I know it’s just the middle of the year, but nevertheless we must plan our winter harvest now. Late brassicas should be sowed indoors now so that they are ready to plant out when the first spring vegetables like spinach, peas or lettuce have been harvested and you have again some space in your beds.
Members of the brassica family that you can seed-start indoors in June are
Kale, palm kale and black cabbage (which is also a variety of kale)
Savoy cabbage
White and red cabbage (late varieties for making sauerkraut and storing)
Kohlrabi
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Summer squash
It’s a good idea to seed-start a second batch of zucchini now and transplant them outside when the first batch gets slow and/or becomes infected with diseases, especially mildew. This is often the case during dry periods and then it’s great to have some zucchinis ready to plant ouside.
Lettuce
It’s good to seed-start lettuce indoors every four weeks. That way, we have a continuous supply of plants and will never run out of fresh lettuce during the growing season. Seeing that temperatures increase, however, we want to choose varieties that like warmer weather, like, for example, iceberg and oak leaf lettuce.
Sowing out lettuce every 3 – 4 weeks is not only a good method for a constant harvest but also makes sure that the beds are always covered.
Vegetables we can sow directly outdoors in June
Carrots
Now we can sow carrots for storing. Make sure you choose later varieties that are robust against low temperatures. Carrot seeds dry out quickly so
Parsnips
Parsnips are related to carrots and they can also be sowed directly into the patches now for a late autumn harvest and for storage.
Beans
Both, bush and runner beans, can still be sowed in June, either as a gap filler when some other vegetables are harvested or between heavy feeders like cabbages, cucumbers or tomatoes.
Spinach, Swiss chard
Both vegetables are wonderful gap fillers that grow fast and thus cover the ground. Additionally, they taste wonderfully and – mostly in case of the Swiss chard – are a very pretty sight.
Kohlrabi
You can either seed-start Kohlrabi now and plant them out later. Or, if you’ve got room now, sow them directly into the bed.
Lettuce
To fill your salad bowl regularly, you must continually sow and plant out lettuce. Now, we choose summer-proof varieties that are bolt-resistant.
Rocket salad
Sow it, watch it grow quickly, harvest the leaves and let it bloom. That way, it will spread itself across your garden.
Radishes
If you have radish varieties that are bolt-resistant, you can sow them out how. The early varieties, however, will not work any more as they’ll only produce flowers and seeds now.
Radishes need only a few days to germinate and then not only show us the row but are a yummy vegetable for salads or as a ferment.
Beetroot
In spring, we sowed only a few beetroots for immediate consumption but now we can throw out handfuls of beetroot seeds for a large harvest in autumn. Beetroots can easily be preserved by freezing, pickling or fermenting.
Planting outdoors
No matter if you’ve seed-started vegetables in your living room or in the greenhouse, the seedlings must be hardened off before they can be transplanted outdoors. Start by putting your plants outside for 2 – 3 hours at first and prolong that time over a week. That way, you make sure that your veggies are healthy and sturdy enough for outdoor conditions.
Brassicas
All the cabbage plants we seed-started earlier that year, are now ready to get outside. All brassica seedlings we have started indoors in April, like kohlrabi, Savoy cabbage, broccoli, Brussel’s sprout and cauliflower, as well as white and red cabbage, can be planted outdoors in June. eave plenty of space between the seedlings so that you can plant celery in between later. Cabbage and celery are great companions in the patch and repel each other’s pests.
As in the weeks before, our monthly batch of lettuce wants to be planted outside.
Leek
Winter leek can be planted outside in June. A great place would be next to the carrots you can now sow directly into the patch. Leek and carrot are a great combination as they keep each other’s pests away. Alternate leek and carrot rows to get the best protection.
Fruit vegetables
If you still have pumpkin seedlings, transplant them out now. Also, if you have seed-started a second batch of cucumbers, peppers/chilies, zucchini and eggplants, transplant them now in June to fill the gap if any of the plants you’ve already in the garden gets weak or infected by diseases.
When you prune tomatoes now, don’t throw away the side shoots but put them in a glass with water. They’ll build new roots and you get additional tomato plants that you can transplant now!
General garden tasks in June
Mulch all plants larger than 10 cm / 4 inches. Mulching means you cover the soil with organic material like grass clippings, leaves, straw or wood chips. By mulching, you make sure that less water evaporates. Additionally, mulch suppresses weeds and thus your “weeding time” will be reduced considerably 🙂
Harvest whatever is ready in your garden. June is also the perfect time to harvest and dry herbs for later use.
Fertilise strong uptakers like cabbage plants, tomatoes, pumpkins and zucchini that were planted in May. Ideally, you have given them basic fertilisation when you planted them. Now it’s time for maintenance fertilisation. A great homemade fertiliser with plenty of nitrogen for hungry veggies is nettle manure. It’s free and easy to make. You’ll find a detailed description on how to make nettle manure here.
Still not enough garden talk? Then these posts may interest you:
When it suddenly smells of summer at the end of May/beginning of June – sweet, flowery and a bit like childhood – then it’s elderflower time! And as this fragrance is too precious to enjoy just on a walk, I preserve it every year with my homemade elderflower syrup.
Elderflower syrup is not only a classic but also wonderfully versatile. Whether you add it to sparkling wine, use it as a lemonade, drizzle it over ice cream or scent your cake dough with it, this delicious syrup immediately lifts the mood of everyone tasting it. And the best thing about it is that you can make elderflower syrup very easily at home with this simple recipe.
When and how to forage elderflowers
Depending on where you live, elderflowers bloom between mid-May to mid-June. When you spot them, take a basket and garden shears and head out to forage them.
Only gather umbels that grow far away from streets, at the edge of the woods, on field paths or in gardens. At those places, you can be sure that they are not polluted by exhaust fumes or other environmental toxins.
Elderflowers are quite easy to identify, but I strongly recommend you don’t pick anything if you are not 100% sure what it is. If in doubt, consult a good book on plant identification or ask somebody with experience.
Always cut the elderflower umbels with garden shears or scissors. That way, you won’t shake the flowers too much and lose their valuable pollen with the flavour.
Make sure to forage only elderflowers that are in full bloom and still fresh, meaning that the little flowers don’t fall off when shaking them. The best time for harvesting is the late morning of a sunny day. Ideally, it has been sunny for several days because that’s when the fragrance is strongest and there are hardly any insects in the flowers.
A basket is best for carrying the harvested elderflowers home, because they lie lightly and airily without being pressed too much together.
One important request: don’t overpick! Never take more than a third of umbels per bush to leave enough for bees and birds! And to come back in autumn and harvest the elderberries 😉.
Essential Equipment and Ingredients for Making Elderflower Syrup
This recipe is simple, not only because you don’t need many ingredients, but also because you certainly already have all the equipment.
Basic Equipment
You need
A pot
A large bowl (optional, you can also add the flowers to the liquid in the pot)
A fine-mesh strainer or a cheese cloth to filter the syrup
Bottles with matching lids, sterilised
Funnel
Ingredient list
Making elderflower syrup was never easier! You just need these ingredients:
8 – 10 fresh elderflower heads in full bloom
500 g sugar
2 untreated lemons
600 ml of water
Citric acid (purely optional; I don’t like its tangy taste and don’t use it)
Elderflower Syrup: Step-by-Step Making Process
Step 1
When you’ve brought the umbels home, just shake them carefully to remove insects. If you want to be absolutely sure that no insects are left, leave the flowers outside in a dry and shady place for about 20 minutes. That way, the insects can wander off.
Do not wash the elderflowers! Their flavour lies in the pollen, and if you wash them, the pollen – and with it the flavour – would be rinsed off.
Once the elderflowers are clean, cut off the thick stems.
Step 2
Wash the lemons with hot water, dry them and cut them into slices.
Step 3
Mix the water and sugar in a pot and slowly bring the mixture to the boil while constantly stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Fill the sugar syrup into a bowl.
Step 4
Add the elderflowers and the lemon slices to the syrup and cover it with a cloth or lid. Let the mixture rest for 2 – 3 days and stir occasionally.
Step 5
Sterilise the bottles by rinsing them with hot water. Remove the elderflowers and lemon slices from the syrup and filter it through a fine mesh strainer. Alternatively, you can filter the syrup through a cloth and wring it out to get the last drops of elderflower syrup. If you press the flowers, the syrup may become a bit more opaque, but that’s ok.
Step 6
Fill the elderflower syrup in a pot and bring it to the boil. Fill the hot liquid into the sterilised bottles and tightly close the lids.
Angela Braun
Elderflower syrup
Elderflower syrup is not only a classic but also wonderfully versatile. Whether you add it to sparkling wine, use it as a lemonade, drizzle it over ice cream or scent your cake dough with it, this delicious syrup immediately lifts the mood of everyone tasting it.
Citric acidpurely optional; I don’t like its tangy taste and don’t use it
Equipment
1 pot
1 large bowl (optional, you can also add teh flowers to the liquid in the pot)
1 fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to filter the syrup
bottles with matching lids sterilised
1 funnel
Method
When you’ve brought the umbels home, just shake them carefully to remove insects. If you want to be absolutely sure that no insects are left, leave the flowers outside in a dry and shady place for about 20 minutes. That way, the insects can wander off.Do not wash the elderflowers! Their flavour lies in the pollen, and if you wash them, the pollen – and with it the flavour – would be rinsed off.
Once the elderflowers are clean, cut off the thick stems.
Wash the lemons with hot water, dry them and cut them into slices.
Mix the water and sugar in a pot and slowly bring the mixture to the boil while constantly stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Fill the sugar syrup into a bowl.
Add the elderflowers and the lemon slices to the syrup and cover it with a cloth or lid. Let the mixture rest for 2 – 3 days and stir occasionally.
Sterilise the bottles by rinsing them with hot water. Remove the elderflowers and lemon slices from the syrup and filter it through a fine mesh strainer. Alternatively, you can filter the syrup through a cloth and wring it out to get the last drops of elderflower syrup. If you press the flowers, the syrup may become a bit more opaque, but that’s ok.
Fill the elderflower syrup in a pot and bring it to the boil. Fill the hot liquid into the sterilised bottles and tightly close the lids.
Notes
Elderflower syrup can be stored in a cool and dry place (e.g. the basement) for up to one year.
How Long Can You Store Elderflower Syrup?
You can either consume the elderflower syrup as soon as it’s ready (after 2 – 3 days). Kept in the fridge, it’ll last for about 10 days.
Alternatively, you can boil the filtered syrup and fill the hot liquid into bottles. Stored in a cool and shady place (your basement, for example), it lasts up to one year.
Another way to store elderflower syrup is to put it in the freezer, where it will also last up to one year.
Flavour Variations and Enhancements
The classic elderflower syrup, as described above, is a treat in itself. However, if you want to get creative, you can vary and enhance the flavours by adding other ingredients:
Add the slices of an orange to the sugar infusion
Instead of lemons, use limes
Add a stem of mint and/or lemon verbena to the syrup
Put 3 – 5 slices of ginger into the mixture and let it steep for 2 – 3 days
You can even adjust the level of sweetness to your taste. However, the less sugar you use, the shorter the storage time of the syrup, even when it’s boiled.
Creative Uses and Serving Suggestions for Elderflower Syrup
Elderflower syrup is incredibly versatile. Here are some ideas on how to use it:
Fill it up with cold (sparkling) water and you’ve got a refreshing lemonade. Additionally, you might add several mint leaves and cucumber slices.
Mixed with prosecco, elderflower syrup makes a wonderful summer cocktail.
Speaking of cocktails: elderflower syrup is also a great additive for gin and tonics and mojitos. Just saying…
Next time you serve a fruit salad, yoghurt or ice cream, drizzle some elderflower syrup over it to give it that extra taste of summer.
Elderflower syrup can be wonderfully made into a sorbet or ice cream
You can flavour cakes and pastries by adding elderflower syrup to the dough or the fillings.
Have you ever tried flavouring your pancake dough with elderflower syrup? Well, you should!
A bottle of elderflower syrup is a great homemade gift that everybody likes.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Making elderflower syrup is very simple. However, there are some issues that you may face. Here’s what you can do about them:
The syrup is too sweet or not sweet enough
If it’s too sweet, you have used too much sugar; if it’s not sweet enough, too little.
In the first case, I’d recommend making a second batch of elderflower syrup with a little less sugar than indicated (e.g. 300 g) and mixing both batches to adjust the sweetness.
If the syrup is not sweet enough, don’t just add sugar to it, because it won’t dissolve properly. Instead, add sugar to about a third of the syrup and heat it up while constantly stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add this to the remaining syrup and preserve it as described in the recipe.
The syrup’s cloudy
A certain opaqueness is normal, especially when you squeeze out the elderflowers into the syrup when filtering it off. That’s the pollen that carries the flavour, and it’s not harmful.
However, if the syrup shows white (or – heaven forbid – black) streaks and smells sour, alcoholic or vinegary, pour it away. It may have fermented spontaneously (see below).
The flavour is too weak.
Usually, if your elderflower syrup has only a weak flavour, you’ve used too few elderflowers. If the umbels are very small, you may have to add some more. Filter the syrup, add some fresh elderflowers and let the mixture steep for 24 hours before filtering.
Another reason for a weak flavour is that the elderflowers you used were too old. They should be freshly opened when you gather them from the tree, and not lose their tiny flowers when shaking them or even have already gone brown. That’s a clear sign of over-mature flowers. Pick fresh ones instead, and if there aren’t any left, make sure you harvest them earlier next year 😉.
However, if you can’t lay your hands on more elderflowers, a weak-tasting elderflower syrup needn’t be thrown away. Add some mint leaves and, if you like, some slices of lemon, and let it steep for 24 hours. That way, you get a lemon-mint syrup with a hint of elderflowers.
The syrup ferments
If you have used no other ingredients than the ones mentioned in the recipe and the elderflower syrup forms bubbles and smells sour, alcoholic or vinegary, I’m sorry to say you’ll have to throw it away. It has fermented spontaneously. This happens when natural yeasts on the elderflowers begin fermenting the sugar in your syrup, creating alcohol. The risk increases if you infuse the flowers for too long – beyond 3-4 days can trigger spontaneous fermentation.
Another fermentation issue may be the growth of mould, which is also due to the uncontrolled growth of undesired bacteria.
All these issues can be prevented by the following factors:
Timing control: don’t let the infusion steep for more than 2 -3 days. I know there are recipes out there suggesting up to one week of infusion, but with every day, the risk of fermentation increases.
Acidity: Adding lemon slices, juice, or citric acid helps to keep the “bad” bacteria at bay and thus prevents spontaneous fermentation.
Hygiene: Sterilise all your equipment and pick flowers only from unpolluted areas
Temperature: Pasteurising the elderflower syrup before filling it into bottles kills most of the yeast and bacteria in it. After opening a bottle, keep it in the fridge and consume it within a week.
Conclusion: Elderflower syrup is Summer to Drink!
For me, making elderflower syrup has become a yearly ritual. The glorious scent, the harvest, the bottling – it all has a soothing effect. And no matter how the weather is: every glass of elderflower syrup brings a little piece of summer to drink.
Wanna read more on how to preserve nature in a jar? Read on here:
Every year, I can’t wait for the lilac to bloom, and every year, I’m sad when it fades again a few weeks later. That’s why I try to preserve those beautiful flowers as best as I can and thus prolong their season. Contrary to popular opinion, lilac flowers are not toxic. In fact, any variety of lilacs (Syringa spp.) is edible. One of my favourite recipes is this homemade lilac syrup. Its colour is stunning, and lilac syrup in a lemonade or on top of ice cream adds an extravagant touch!
For the colour, however, we must use a trick, as it does not come from the lilac itself. Nevertheless, it’s totally natural and organic. I’ll show you how to do it.
Lilac syrup
Yield: 500 ml
Ingredients
a bowl full of lilac flowers: make sure to use unsprayed lilac; also, do not use lilac from a roadside where it gets polluted by exhaust fumes and dust
250 ml water
250 g sugar
3 – 4 blueberries for the colour
1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
1. Carefully pluck the flowers off the stems. Make sure that nothing green gets into the bowl, only the flowers. The green parts of the flowers would make the syrup bitter.
2. Carefully wash the flowers with cold water.
3. Put the water and sugar into a pot and boil the solution while constantly stirring it. The sugar must be dissolved completely.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and add the blueberries and lemon juice. Stir slightly until the liquid has the colour you like.
Blueberries give our lilac syrup that wonderfully light lavender hue.
5. Let the syrup cool down to room temperature. Now, add the lilac flowers and stir them slightly in.
Cover the pot and let it all rest for about 18 – 24 hours.
The lilac syrup is ready to rest for about 18 – 24 hours
6. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into another pot. Gently press the last syrup out of the lilac flowers.
7. The mixture is ready for use now, but it will only last 2 – 3 days in the fridge.
If you want to preserve it for longer, bring the syrup to a short boil once more and pour the hot liquid into glass bottles. Close them immediately with lids. Preserved that way, lilac syrup can be stored up to 18 months. Once you open a bottle, consume the syrup within 2 – 3 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze the lilac syrup.
How to use lilac syrup
Beverages
Stir a tablespoon into a glass of iced tea for a floral afternoon refreshment
Swirl into plain yoghurt with fresh berries and granola
Blend into smoothie bowls
Stir into overnight oats with sliced almonds and blueberries
Brush onto warm scones fresh from the oven
Desserts
Brush onto cake layers before frosting for added moisture and flavour
Drizzle over vanilla ice cream
Mix into whipped cream for a floral topping on desserts
Use as a sweetener in homemade popsicles with berries
Angela Braun
Lilac Syrup
This elegant syrup adds a touch of botanical sophistication to cocktails, lemonades, and iced teas. Drizzle it over pancakes or waffles, stir into yoghurt, or use as a finishing touch for cakes and pastries.
Carefully plug the flowers off the stems. Make sure that nothing green gets into the bowl, only the flowers.
Wash the flowers with cold water.
Put the water and sugar into a pot and boil it while constantly stirring. The sugar must be dissolved completely.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the blueberries and lemon juice. Stir slightly until the liquid has the colour you like.
Let the syrup cool down to room temperature, add the lilac flowers, cover the pot and let it all rest for about 18 - 24 hours.
Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into another pot. Gently press the last syrup out of the lilac flowers.
The mixture is ready for use now but will only last 2 - 3 days in the fridge. If you want to preserve it for longer, bring the syrup to a boil once more and the boiling liquid into glass bottles. Alternatively, you can freeze the lilac syrup.
Notes
Add lilac syrup to cocktails, lemonades and iced teas. Mix it with sparkling wine and you have an extravagant aperitif. However, lilac syrup is not only for drinks. Get creative and drizzle it over pancakes or waffles, stir it into yoghurt, or use it as a finishing touch for cakes and pastries.
The promises of May are kept in June! Forgotten is the doom of night frosts; now, everything is growing wild, and we can already harvest lots of veggies, herbs, and fruits. Summer solstice is around the corner, and the days are long, hot and busy. Let’s see what garden tasks await us in June.
#1 Harvest and preserve
Many veggies that we sowed and planted earlier that year can now be harvested in June. Apart from lettuce, which we have already been harvesting for weeks, we can now yield sweet peas, broad beans, kohlrabi and our second batch of spinach and Swiss chard.
Calendula is now in full bloom, and you can pluck the flowers and dry their petals. Don’t know what you can use them for? Here are some ideas.
The strawberries are finally ripe (honestly, what is this about strawberries? I can never get enough of them!) and we’ll get busy cooking strawberry jam, the first jam of the season. If you happen to have elder bushes in the vicinity, you can harvest the flowers now and make syrup from them. It’s not only a tasty ingredient for drinks or in yoghurt, but can also be mixed with strawberries to make an interestingly flavoured jam. For more ideas on strawberry jam with a twist, read on here.
#2 Watering
Watering is one of the most important garden tasks in June. So far, this year has been bone dry here in Southern Germany. We had almost no rain in spring and only occasional rainfall in May, just enough to keep the plants alive. While I’m not a great fan of watering, it’s essential to keep the soil moist, especially when we have freshly sown or transplanted. The seeds need water to germinate, and for that reason, we mustn’t let the soil dry out. Mulching (see next step) and hoeing are good additional methods to ensure that the soil stays moist.
#3 Mulching
When your plants are about 10 – 15 cm (4 – 6 inches) high, add mulch to your patches. Either use (dry!) grass clippings, (old) hay, straw or leaves. Also, good mulch material is wood chips that have the additional advantage of being avoided by snails and slugs.
#4 Sowing and planting
Wherever we harvest, we should sow or plant afterwards so that there are no gaps in the patches. That way, we cannot only harvest continually but also keep the soil covered. This will suppress weeds and keep the soil moist. This article summarises all the veggies we can either seed-start, sow directly or plant into our patches in June.
#5 Monitoring for pests and diseases
One of the greatest garden “tasks” in June is taking a daily stroll through the garden. First of all, because it’s good for the soul. Is there anything more satisfying than witnessing how everything we planned and prepared earlier that year comes to life and works out? I can’t think of one.
While we are there to enjoy our bountiful garden, however, we should also watch out for pests and diseases like a hawk. We haven’t invested all that time and energy to see our babies be either eaten off overnight or die from some disease. The earlier we detect possible harm, the better the chances of protection.
Snails and slugs, for example, are some dreaded pests, especially when it’s moist or wet, but even during dry spells, we should check for them under the mulch. A good way to keep those pests off our seedlings is to put snail collars around them, which they can’t overcome. Or you get out in the wee hours of the morning or the evening with a bucket and collect them. Choose your way, but I prefer the collars.
Mulch is a good way to suppress weeds, but sometimes it’s not enough, and we have to weed regularly before dandelion, couch grass, and nettles get the upper hand. As plenty of weeds are edible, you should consider making a pesto from them (for more, see this article). From nettle, dandelions and horsetail (and some more), you can make liquid manure as a fertiliser for your plants. Read here how to make nettle manure.
#7 Fertilising
To help our plants thrive, we need to feed them. Depending on what parts oft he plants we want to harvest, we have to use different fertilisers: brassicas, for example, where we harvest the leaves, need mostly nitrogen to build large heads. Tomatoes and cucumbers, on the other hand, where we harvest the fruits from, need more phosphorus and potassium to build many large fruits.
Fertilise your heavy-feeders every 3- 4 weeks and the medium-feeders every 4 – 6 weeks.
#8 Fertilise and mulch berry shrubs
Your berry shrubs, like raspberries, gooseberries, currants, blackberries, and so on, need food as well. So, another garden task you should do in June is to fertilise your berry shrubs and fruit trees. They’ll profit as well from a healthy dose of that liquid manure from stinging nettles I mentioned above. Additionally, you should cover the soil under the bushes and shrubs now with mulch.
#9 Pruning tomatoes
Every time we turn our backs on our gardens, even if it’s only for a second, our tomatoes seem to shoot out new suckers from their leaf axils. If you want to induce the plant to produce many fruits instead of leaves, you must remove these suckers before they get too large. Over here, you’ll find a detailed guide on how to grow tomatoes.
You can put the pruned suckers into water and they soon will form roots. If you want to and have some room left, you can transplant these new tomato plants in a few weeks into the patch.
#10 Gaining seeds
If you still have some vegetables from last year in your garden, they’ll be blooming by now, which attracts beneficial insects. In a few weeks, these blooms will turn into seeds that we can harvest and store for the next gardening season. The plants from those seeds are usually more robust and better adapted to your (micro)climate. Best of all: gaining our own seeds helps us save heirloom varieties and makes us (at least partly) independent from large seed companies.
June is a bit like a summer camp – everything’s growing, thriving, and probably getting a little wild when you’re not looking. Between watering, weeding, and wondering why your tomatoes are taking their sweet time, remember that gardening is part science, part art, and part wishful thinking. Your plants don’t need perfection; they need care, consistency, and maybe the occasional pep talk. So grab your watering can, embrace the dirt under your fingernails, and enjoy watching your little green kingdom flourish. After all, every master gardener started with one slightly wonky seedling!
Can’t get enough of gardening? These articles may also interest you:
Aphids are a common pest and make life hard for gardeners. Within a very short time, these yellow, green, red or black insects can grow into gigantic hordes and damage the leaves and young shoots of many plants with their piercing-sucking mouth parts. Additionally, aphids often transmit dangerous pathogens, especially viruses. However, it’s not necessary to fight aphids with chemicals. There are much cheaper and – what’s even more important – natural household remedies to get rid of aphids. Let’s have a look!
Preventing aphids
The right place and nutrients
As so often, it’s best to take every measure to keep pests like aphids away from your plants. One way to do that is not to plant too many of the same plants together. In an ornamental garden, this could mean combining roses with different perennials; in the vegetable garden, you should apply the system of companion plants. That way, we can already combine plants that help each other.
Healthy plants that get enough nutrients, water and light are generally less prone to pests than over-fertilised or weak plants. Avoid over-fertilising with nitrogen, because aphids like the nourishing plant sap.
Attract natural enemies
A further step to prevent aphids is to attract their natural enemies like ladybugs, lacewings, ichneumon flies, hoverflies and other insects. Offer them enough nesting opportunities, for example deadwood hedges, lacewing boxes and insect hotels. When aphid hunters feel comfortable in your garden, the aphids will decrease noticeably in late spring or early summer. The reason is that with an increased food supply, the beneficial insects proliferate as well. In summer, we usually have a good balance.
Strengthen your plants
Seeing as pests first infest weak and unhealthy plants, it’s a good idea to strengthen them. Here, too, we have tried-and-tested household remedies for strengthening:
Horsetail manure
To make horsetail manure, you need 1 kg fresh or 200 g dry field horsetail. Soak it in 10 litres of cold water for 24 hours and filter it. Dilute 2 litres of the liquid manure with 10 litres of water and water or spray the plants every week.
Skimmed milk and whey
To prevent aphids from infesting your tomato plants, mix one litre of skimmed milk or whey with 4 litres of water and spray the concoction once a week on your plants. If the aphids have already infested your tomatoes, however, this won’t help.
Diluted with water is a strengthening tonic for young and weak plants and helps prevent aphids.
Wormwood manure
Wormwood manure (not to be confused with wormwood tea) does not repel pests but distracts them with its strong and pungent smell. It’s made in the same way as nettle manure.
Vinegar
Vinegar is also a preventive means against aphids, as they shy away from acid. You must be careful, however, and only use vinegar dilutedly. Otherwise, you risk damaging your plants with too high acidity.
How to get rid of aphids with household remedies
One day, everything’s fine in your garden, and the next day, all your plants have aphids! At least, it often seems as dramatic as that because aphids proliferate very fast and can truly infest a garden within a week.
So, what to do now? Here are some tried-and-tested household remedies to get rid of aphids in a natural way.
Water
Yep, that’s right, just plain old water. Often, a strong jet of water is enough to catapult the aphids into nirvana. Just shoot them off the plant. This works for house plants, as well. Put them into the shower or bathtub and rinse the aphids off.
Soft soap or dish soap solution
The most commonly known household remedy against aphids is soft soap. This soap is made with potash instead of sodium hydroxide and has no surplus of fat. An alternative to soft soap is dish soap, although it contains fragrances and colourings.
Shower gel and other body care products on the basis of soap are not suitable. They contain environmentally dangerous substances and can damage your plants.
To make an effective household remedy against aphids, dissolve 50 g of soft soap or dish soap in one litre of warm water. Let the solution cool down and fill it into a spray bottle. Spray the infested plants.
Pro tip: In case of a heavy infestation with aphids, stir 2 teaspoons of alcohol or spirit to the soft soap solution to enhance its power.
Nettle brew
A brew (not manure) from stinging nettles is also a successful household remedy to get rid of aphids. To make an extract, put 100 – 200 g of fresh stinging nettles into one litre of water and let them steep for two days. You can use the brew undiluted against aphids, also on houseplants.
Make sure to filter the brew after two days and dispose of the nettles. Otherwise, the liquid will ferment and become nettle manure, which mustn’t be used undiluted on any plants.
Oregano
You may know oregano in the kitchen, but this herb is also suitable against aphids. To make a spray solution, take 100 g fresh or 10 g dry oregano and add one litre of boiling water. Let it steep for 15 – 20 minutes and filter it. Dilute the brew at a ratio of 3:1 with water and spray it on the aphid-infested plants.
Tansy brew
Soak 500 g fresh or 30 g dried tansy in 10 litres of water for 24 hours. Filter the brew and dilute it with 20 litres of water. Fill the solution in a spray bottle and spray it on the diseased plant.
Wormwood tea
Besides aphids, wormwood tea (not wormwood manure, see above) also helps against other sucking and eating pests. Brew 100 g fresh or 10 g dry wormwood leaves (Artemisia absinthum) with one litre of water and let it steep for 24 hours. Filter the tea and use it undilutedly against aphids.
Bracken brew
Mix one kilogram of bracken with 10 litres of water. The brew can be used undilutedly against aphids and is especially suitable for houseplants. Bracken contains lots of potassium, and the brew strengthens the plant like a fertiliser.
Onion and garlic „tea“ as a household remedy against aphids
Onions and garlic can help against many pests. Make a tea from 40 g chopped onions or garlic and 5 litres of boiling water. Let the tea steep for at least three hours (closed with a lid, it stinks!) and filter it afterwards. Spray your plants with this undiluted tea every 8 – 10 days against aphids and preventively against fungal diseases.
Rhubarb leaf brew
If your beans are infested with black bean aphids (Aphis fabae), a brew from rhubarb leaves is a good household remedy. Boil 500 g of leaves for half an hour in 3 litres of water, filter the brew and spray your plants with the cooled liquid once a week.
Black tea
Black tea is also a good household remedy against aphids. Take two teabags of black tea and pour one litre of boiling water over them. Let it steep for at least 15 minutes. Fill the cooled tea in a spray bottle and spray your plants from all directions.
Conclusion
Aphids are a common pest, and to a certain extent we have to live with them. In a natural garden, where their natural enemies feel comfortable, we usually get a good balance.
In case of a large infestation, however, we should not use chemicals to fight them as these would also harm beneficial insects. Instead, there are so many cheap or even free household remedies that really help get rid of aphids in a natural way. The ecosystem and environment will thank you, and you can eat your vegetables with an easy conscience.
