What to Plant in June in Zone 8
Here is what you can sow in June if you garden in USDA zone 8. Dates use typical zone 8 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
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| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicingBig Beef | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Tomato, cherrySun Gold | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Tomato, pasteAmish Paste | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, bellAce | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, hotJalapeño | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| EggplantNadia | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| Cucumber, slicingMarketmore 76 | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Cucumber, picklingExcelsior | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Squash, summerZucchini Dunja | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 15 |
| Squash, winterWaltham Butternut | spring | May 1 – Jun 15 |
| PumpkinNew England Pie | spring | May 15 – Jun 30 |
| WatermelonCrimson Sweet | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| CantaloupeHale's Best | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| OkraClemson Spineless | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 15 |
| Sweet CornInspiration | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Pole BeanKentucky Wonder | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Sweet PotatoBeauregard | spring | May 1 – Jun 15 |
| BasilGenovese | spring | Apr 15 – Jul 1 |
| Southern Pea (Black-Eyed Pea)California Blackeye No. 5 | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 8 |
| TomatilloToma Verde | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Ground CherryAunt Molly's | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Honeydew MelonEarli-Dew | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| Spaghetti SquashTivoli | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 8 |
| Acorn SquashTable Queen | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 8 |
| Luffa GourdSmooth Luffa | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 8 |
| Sunflower, confectionMammoth Grey Stripe | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 8 |
| Pepper, bananaSweet Banana | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, poblanoPoblano | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, serranoSerrano Tampiqueno | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, cayenneLong Slim | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, shishitoShishito | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, habaneroOrange Habanero | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| TarragonFrench | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| MarjoramSweet Marjoram | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 17 |
| Lemon BalmCommon | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 3 |
| Summer SavoryCommon | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 17 |
| BorageCommon | spring | Mar 25 – Jun 3 |
| Shiso (Perilla)Britton | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Malabar SpinachRed Stem | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Tomato | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, sweet | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Cucumber | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
Zone 8 in June
The Quiet Before the Drop
Forty-Odd Crops, Almost None Carry Forward
Nothing new opens this month, and the table is about to fall harder than at any other point on the calendar, from more than 40 crops down to single digits by next month. Only about one crop in five on this list will still have an open window in July, the sharpest single-month contraction of the year here.
That drop is the whole story of a two-season garden in this zone: the spring planting run effectively ends this month, weeks before summer even officially begins by the calendar.
Corn planted back in April should be tasseling by now. Check ears for filled-out silks turning brown at the tip as the surest sign a harvest is close, rather than guessing from the calendar alone.
Get Ahead of the Trough
Mulch beds now, 2 to 3 inches of straw or shredded leaves, while soil moisture is still reasonable. Press a bare palm to uncovered soil next to a mulched patch once real summer heat sets in next month and the difference is obvious within seconds; that same gap still shows up several degrees down at root level, right where it affects uptake most.
Deep-water established beds rather than sprinkling daily; roots that chase a shallow, frequent watering schedule sit closer to the surface and suffer more once the heat arrives than roots trained to reach 8 inches or more for moisture.
Tomatoes already fruiting need consistent moisture more than they need feeding this month. Uneven watering, a dry week followed by a heavy soak, is the most common cause of blossom end rot on fruit that's otherwise healthy.
Watch pepper and eggplant for spider mites once daytime highs push past 90. Fine stippling on the underside of leaves is the first sign, well before the webbing that shows up once a population has already exploded.
June in zone 8: common questions
What can I plant in June in zone 8?+
In June, USDA zone 8 gardeners can sow Tomato, slicing, Tomato, cherry, Tomato, paste, Pepper, bell, Pepper, hot, Eggplant, and more. Dates use typical zone 8 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 8 is one band of the map, but planting time is set by your local frost dates, not the zone number. Enter your ZIP code in the free planner and it uses your actual frost dates, which can differ by weeks within a single zone.
Are these June planting dates exact?+
They are typical zone 8 windows. Two gardens in the same zone can be a week or two apart because of elevation and local climate, so treat these as a starting point and tune them to your ZIP code with the free planner.