July Garden: What to Plant, Harvest or Take Care Of

Contrary to the common opinion, July offers a lot of possibilities to put second or third sowing of some crops like carrots. Here is everything you need to do this month in your backyard:

Garden Maintenance

In July you need to take extra care of your garden and prepare it for the fall season. Here is a quick list of mid-summer tasks you need to look forward to:

• Water frequently plants;

• Deal with pests such as aphids, beetles, plum rust, pear rust and pear leaf blister mite;

• Complete summer pruning;

• Remove dead flowers from your annual plants to encourage blooming;

• Check for disease or insect damages;

• Pull off dead crops and put them in the compost bin;

• Remove the weeds before they have chance to develop;

• Fertilize container gardens regularly;

• Empty areas where crops have been harvested and prepare the site for plants you plan to sow in the autumn.

Lawn Maintenance

For a lush, healthy and green lawn you need to water it regularly. Raise the cutting height of the mower and leave the grass a bit taller than usual to allow it to cool easily and to retain moisture. Morning irrigation lets turf absorb the water before nightfall, minimizing the chance of diseases. Inspect the lawn for white grubs and apply appropriate pest control. Check in there are any brown patches. Although brown lawn is often considered dead, this is not always the case. Grass can go dormant during periods of drought, but quickly revive with the fall rains.

To Harvest

The harvest time largely depends on your location and the time frame in which you’ve sowed your crops:

• Take out the potatoes from the ground when the tops die;

• Harvest sweet corn when the silks turn brown;

• Onions, shallots and garlic can be collected when the tops turn brown;

• Blackberries and blueberries are ripe and ready for harvest;

• Beans, peas, courgettes, herbs and salad leaves can also be yield.

To Plant

This is a perfect time to sow perennials and successions of salad crops to continue harvesting during the summer. You can also consider planting cool-season veggies directly into the garden:

• Flowers

– Marigolds

– Zinnias

– Sunflowers

– Cosmos

• Fruits and Vegetables

Your choice is limited in terms of fruits you can sow in July, but there is a variety of veggies you can try.

– cabbage

– broccoli

– cauliflower

– beets

– carrots

– winter radishes

– turnips

– cucumbers

– kale

Roll up your sleeves and get ready for July gardening!