As summer truly arrives, fruit trees are producing plenty of produce - but Monty Don warns there's one clear sign you need to step in when it comes to your apple and pear trees during the 'June Drop'08:17, 02 Jul 2026This time of year brings out the very best of nature, with British gardens and the wider countryside truly bursting into life — but there's one important job that shouldn't be overlooked.‌As the days stretch longer and brighter, we enjoy sunlight from roughly 4am until well past 10pm, giving your plants and flowers the ideal conditions to flourish. Amidst the vibrant greens and explosions of colour, fruit trees are producing abundant crops, and there's one telltale sign that it's time for you to intervene.‌According to Monty Don, fruit trees require attention at this time of year, particularly during June and July, as they begin shedding hundreds of small fruits. If you notice an apple or pear tree dropping excessive amounts of fruit onto the ground, you might start to worry.‌Don't be alarmed — the gardening expert insists this is 'perfectly normal' and calls it the common 'June Drop'. He explains that this is simply the tree reducing its load as it works to successfully ripen the remaining fruit.However, he points out that the tree doesn't discriminate when choosing which fruit to shed, meaning it can drop fruit that isn't actually ready to fall. This is where one crucial task becomes important - when you begin noticing fruit ripening in your own back garden.‌In this situation, the best approach is to selectively remove the smallest fruit from the tree during this period, before the tree has the chance to do it for you. Additionally, by limiting the number on each cluster to just two fruits per spur, you're more likely to achieve optimal results.Monty Don recommends ensuring these two fruits aren't touching one another, as they'll develop and ripen far more effectively, while also eliminating any risk of damaging branches from excessive weight.‌When cultivating your own fruit, quality should always take precedence over quantity, and staying one step ahead of the trees' natural capabilities will consistently reward you with stronger, superior fruit.He states in a blog post about this quick trick of his: "You can always buy average apples, but if you grow them yourself, then you should always aim for them to be as good as possible."Another matter worth monitoring in June is your grass cutting, the gardening enthusiast suggests, or rather the absence of it. He recommends that while everyone else is firing up their mowers and getting stuck in, if possible, you should allow your grass to grow long, his own being "planted up with spring bulbs and wildflowers".Article continues belowHe says: "This looks beautiful and is so much better for insects and all forms of wildlife than a neatly mown lawn."For those eager to embrace this overgrown aesthetic, timing your next lawn mowing is crucial, as cutting the grass can maximise its growth performance next year along with that of any bulbs. He advises that nothing should be trimmed whatsoever until after the longest day of the year, the summer solstice falling on June 21.