June is a charming little liar.
It rolls in with sunshine, blue skies, and the sweet illusion that your garden is on cruise control now. After all, you’ve already planted everything, right? The hard work is done. You’re basically sipping iced tea and watching the beans climb the trellis all by themselves.
But here’s the thing no one tells you: this is the month when the garden starts biting back.
June is sneaky. It brings bugs that chew holes when you’re not looking. It whispers to your tomato plants, telling them to curl up and die. It dries out your soil even after a deep watering, and then has the nerve to throw in a heatwave for fun.
And because it all looks fine at first glance, you miss the early warning signs.
Let’s fix that. Here are 9 June garden problems you really shouldn’t ignore — including one that’s out to murder your tomatoes in cold chlorophyll.
1. Wilted Leaves in the Morning? That’s Not Just Thirst
If your plants look like they’re melting before breakfast, don’t be so quick to grab the watering can. Wilting in the heat of the afternoon is normal. Wilting first thing in the morning is not.
This often means the roots are in trouble — not thirsty, but suffocating. When soil stays soggy for too long, roots can’t breathe. They stop working. Water uptake slows. The plant wilts anyway, and ironically, more watering just makes it worse.
You’re not dealing with drought. You’re dealing with drowning.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🖐️ Do the finger test. Stick your finger two inches into the soil. If it’s still moist, don’t water.
- 🌱 Improve drainage. Mix in compost or perlite if the soil stays soggy for more than a day.
- ⏰ Water smarter, not more. Early morning is best. Water deeply and less often to encourage roots to grow down, not sit near the surface.
- 🪴 Watch container plants. Pots with no drainage hole are basically tiny plant bathtubs. Drill one if needed.
Don’t trust the leaves alone. Always check the soil. Plants might wilt for the same reason you do — they’re tired of being overwhelmed.
2. Tiny Holes in Leaves? Time to Check for Flea Beetles
You head out for a peaceful morning stroll and spot something odd on your eggplants or tomatoes. The leaves look like someone peppered them with buckshot. Dozens of tiny holes, no bigger than a pinhead. That’s your cue to stop and squint — you’ve probably got flea beetles.
These little pests don’t play around. They’re small, dark, and jump like fleas when disturbed. One or two won’t do much, but a full infestation can shred young plants so badly they can’t bounce back. It’s not just cosmetic damage. It’s plant stress, stunted growth, and sometimes total failure.
Here’s how to fix it before things spiral out of control.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🔍 Confirm the culprit. Tap a leaf and watch closely. Flea beetles will leap like tiny specks of pepper.
- 🟨 Set out yellow sticky traps. Place them near the affected plants. They’ll attract and catch the adults fast.
- 🌿 Dust with diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle it around the base and on the leaves. It’s harmless to humans but deadly to soft-bodied insects.
- 🧺 Cover young seedlings with row cover. Lightweight fabric acts like a bug shield until plants are strong enough to tolerate some nibbling.
The key is early action. Once the population explodes, it’s hard to claw it back without major damage. Keep your eyes sharp and your sticky traps ready.
3. Curling Tomato Leaves? It Might Be a Virus
Tomatoes are drama queens. One minute they’re thriving, the next their leaves are curling up like they’ve just read a bad review. But don’t ignore this — especially in June, when pests are out and viruses start making their rounds.
If the leaves are twisting, cupping upward, or looking thick and leathery, you might be dealing with Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) — and it spreads fast.
The usual suspect? Whiteflies. These tiny, fluttery pests feed on your plants and carry the virus from one tomato to the next like tiny winged gossips.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🔍 Inspect the underside of leaves. If you see white, moth-like insects fly up when disturbed, you’ve got whiteflies.
- 🟨 Use yellow sticky traps. These attract and trap adult whiteflies. Place them at plant height, close to infected areas.
- 🚫 Remove infected plants. There’s no cure for TYLCV. Uproot and dispose of the plant — not in the compost.
- 🧼 Spray with insecticidal soap. Use it early in the morning every few days to keep whitefly populations under control.
- 🪴 Space your plants. Good airflow makes it harder for pests and viruses to spread like wildfire.
If one of your tomato plants starts curling weirdly, don’t wait. Catching this early might save the rest of your crop from going down with it.
4. Powdery Leaves on Zucchini or Squash? That’s Powdery Mildew
It starts as a light dusting. A few pale spots on the leaves. You think it’s just dust or maybe a splash of soil. But then it spreads. Fast.
By the time it covers the leaves like a bad makeup job, your plant is already stressed. And once powdery mildew takes hold, your harvest shrinks, the leaves curl, and the whole plant can collapse in on itself by mid-July.
This fungus loves warm days, cool nights, and high humidity — all of which June provides in abundance.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🔬 Confirm it’s mildew. Wipe the spot gently. If it comes off like flour and leaves green underneath, it’s mildew, not dust or insect residue.
- ✂️ Remove infected leaves. Cut them off with clean pruners and throw them in the trash, not the compost.
- 🧪 Spray with a DIY milk solution. Mix 1 part milk to 9 parts water and spray weekly. It changes the pH on the leaf surface, which slows fungal growth.
- 🌬️ Improve airflow. Trim crowded leaves and avoid overhead watering, especially in the evening.
- ☀️ Plant in full sun. Shady, damp spots are mildew magnets.
Powdery mildew won’t usually kill the plant outright, but it weakens it enough that the fruit quality drops. Catch it early and your zucchinis will thank you with a harvest that doesn’t quit.
5. Pruning at the Wrong Time? You Might Be Cutting Off This Year’s Flowers
You’ve got clippers in hand, a free morning, and a hydrangea that looks a little wild. It’s tempting to neaten things up. But if you prune the wrong plant at the wrong time in June, you could be chopping off the very buds that were about to bloom.
This is the month when a lot of shrubs are setting their flower buds — especially the ones that bloom on old wood like bigleaf hydrangeas, lilacs, and some varieties of clematis. Pruning now can mean an entire summer without a single flower.
🛠️ What to Do
- 📅 Know your bloom type. If a shrub blooms in spring, it likely sets buds the previous year. Skip heavy pruning now unless it already flowered.
- ✂️ Deadhead instead. Snip off spent blooms without cutting back stems. It tidies the plant without affecting next year’s flowers.
- 📝 Make a pruning calendar. Write down which plants bloom on old wood and mark safe pruning windows. It’ll save you from future heartbreak.
- 🌸 When in doubt, don’t prune yet. It’s better to have a slightly scraggly plant with flowers than a neat one with nothing to show.
Pruning can be satisfying, but this time of year, it pays to pause. Some blooms are already waiting in the wings — don’t snip them off before they get their moment.
6. Dry on Top, Swampy Below? Your Pots Might Be Waterlogged
It’s an oddly specific nightmare. You water your container plants, the soil surface looks dry again within hours, but the leaves are yellowing and growth has stalled. You think they need more water, so you give them more — and things just get worse.
That’s the curse of poor drainage. In hot June weather, the top layer dries out quickly, fooling you into watering again while the bottom of the pot stays wet and airless. Roots start to rot. Leaves turn yellow. And the plant sits there doing nothing while you love it to death.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🕳️ Check for drainage holes. Every container needs at least one. If yours doesn’t have one, drill it or repot.
- 🪴 Lift the pot. If it feels heavy even though the top looks dry, that’s trapped water down below.
- 🌬️ Use a lighter potting mix. Mix in perlite or coconut coir to help air and water move freely.
- 🥄 Try the spoon test. Dig gently into the soil with a spoon and check for soggy layers. If the middle’s wet, skip watering.
- 📍 Water deeply but less often. Let the top 1 to 2 inches dry out fully between waterings.
June is the start of container stress season. Don’t trust the surface — dig a little deeper, and your plants will thank you with flowers instead of fungal rot.
7. Leaves Stuck Together? You Might Have Leafrollers
You see a leaf folded neatly in half or rolled into a tight little tube. Inside, there’s a hidden guest — and it’s not paying rent.
Leafrollers are the caterpillars of certain moths, and they show up in early summer looking for a cozy home and a leafy buffet. They use silk to tie leaves together and then feed in secret, chewing away from the inside while you admire your “healthy” plant from the outside.
They’re common on fruit trees, roses, and even herbs like basil or mint. One or two won’t ruin your garden, but left unchecked, they can stunt growth and cause ugly, ragged foliage by July.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🔎 Peek inside. Gently unroll a leaf. If there’s a green or brown caterpillar inside, you’ve found your leafroller.
- ✂️ Remove affected leaves. Snip and toss them in the trash, especially if you only see a few.
- 🧼 Spray with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). This natural bacteria targets caterpillars without harming bees or beneficial bugs.
- 🧤 Hand-pick if you’re brave. Grab them early in the morning when they’re sluggish. Gloves optional, but recommended.
- 🪴 Check neighboring plants. If they’ve hit one plant, chances are they’ve moved in elsewhere too.
If leaves are curling or folding without any wind or wilting, trust your instincts. Something might be snacking from the shadows.
8. Lettuce Turning Bitter? It’s Probably Bolting
You’ve been babying that lettuce for weeks. It finally looks full and lush. Then one morning, the leaves taste like a mouthful of aspirin and the center starts shooting up like it’s trying to escape. That’s not a growth spurt. That’s bolting.
When the days get longer and the temperatures rise — hello, June — many leafy greens panic. They shift from leafy growth to seed production. And with that change comes bitterness, toughness, and a total shutdown of the tender salad zone.
🛠️ What to Do
- ✂️ Harvest immediately. Once you see a central stalk forming, cut the whole plant. It won’t improve with time.
- 🌿 Replant heat-tolerant varieties. Look for names like ‘Summer Bibb’ or ‘Jericho’ that resist bolting.
- ⛱️ Provide afternoon shade. Use a row cover or plant near taller crops that offer natural protection from the sun.
- 💧 Keep the soil consistently moist. Lettuce that dries out for even a day is more likely to bolt.
- 🗓️ Stagger plantings. Sow small batches every two weeks for a steady supply of leaves, even if some bolt early.
Bolting is the plant’s way of saying, “It’s been real, but I’ve got seeds to make.” Catch it early and you can still enjoy a few good harvests before the summer heat takes over.
9. Seeing Ant Hills in Your Beds? You’ve Got a Colony Problem
At first, it’s just a little mound. Then a second one. Before you know it, your garden beds look like a miniature housing development — and the ants didn’t even ask.
Ants aren’t always bad. They aerate soil and help with decomposition. But when they settle in around your vegetables or nest inside your mulch, they can protect aphids (which damage plants), tunnel around root systems, and even sneak into your home looking for snacks.
June is prime real estate season for ants. The soil is warm, the moisture is just right, and there’s plenty of food around — unless you make it uncomfortable for them.
🛠️ What to Do
- 🕳️ Locate the main nest. Follow ant trails in the early morning or evening. Most lead to one central hub.
- 🌿 Sprinkle diatomaceous earth or cinnamon. Both are natural deterrents. Dust them around entry points and along ant trails.
- 🧼 Remove food sources. Aphids produce a sweet substance ants love. Hose off any aphids or use insecticidal soap to get rid of them.
- 🧪 Use a borax and sugar bait trap. Mix 1 part borax with 3 parts sugar and place near the colony. They’ll carry it back to the queen.
- 🚫 Avoid disturbing mulch too often. Constant fluffing creates ideal nesting conditions. Let it settle, or switch to gravel in problem zones.
Ants don’t need much encouragement to move in. A little food, a little moisture, and suddenly you’re hosting the invertebrate version of a family reunion. Better to end the party early — before they invite the aphids over for dessert.
🌿 Don’t Let June Fool You
June might look like smooth sailing — green leaves, blooming flowers, birds singing like they’re on payroll — but it’s also the month when trouble likes to sneak in quietly. A little wilting here, a few bite marks there, and before you know it, your perfect garden starts looking tired.
But the good news? You don’t need to overhaul everything. Most of these problems just need a sharp eye and a little early action. No dramatic measures. No expensive gadgets. Just you, your plants, and the habit of checking in while the coffee’s brewing.
I’ve made almost every mistake on this list at some point, usually more than once. And somehow, the garden still forgives me — as long as I catch the problem before it turns into a full-blown crisis. That’s what this list is for.
Here’s to a garden that stays beautiful, healthy, and slightly less dramatic this summer.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.