Rainfall is scarce in July, and soaring temperatures can cause your garden and lawn to slow down and conserve energy. Vegetable gardens kick into high gear and will need some extra attention to stay happy. Other plants in your garden can benefit from special treatment as well. Here are some tips for your lawn and garden during the month of July.
Lawns
- Continue mowing as needed, at the highest setting for your lawn type (3”- 4” for cool-season
grasses, 2”- 3” for warm-season grasses). Make sure your lawn gets at least one inch of water per week. - If water is scarce, consider allowing cool-season fescue or bluegrass to go dormant for the summer.
- Mulch grass clippings to help shade, cool, and feed your lawn.
- Edge planting beds with a string trimmer or lawn edger, for a nice clean look.
- Plant warm-season grasses and keep watered.
- Stop fertilizing lawns in midsummer.
- Make sure lawn mower blades are sharp, so they cut cleanly.
Vegetables and Herbs
- Remove flower heads to encourage bulb growth.
- Order garlic bulbs for fall planting.
- Add compost or organic fertilizer to vegetable gardens.
- Harvest veggies. Give away any produce you can’t use, and remove plants that have finished producing.
- Continue weeding, watering, and removing insects.
- Start seeds for cool-season fall vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and spinach.
- Give herbs a haircut, and use the cuttings.
- Mulch sprawling plants to keep vegetables off the ground.
- Harvest berries before birds and squirrels eat them.
- Remove and discard fallen fruits and vegetables.
- Harvest melons when they slip easily from the vine.
- Give tomatoes extra water, and perhaps a little shade, when temperatures are over 90° F.
Houseplants
- Put houseplants outdoors in the shade for the summer.
- Water houseplants regularly.
- Feed houseplants every couple of weeks with a balanced organic fertilizer.
- Repot pot-bound houseplants.
Cleanup and Maintenance
- Work outdoors in the cool of the morning and stay hydrated.
- Add extra mulch to keep plant roots cool and moist.
- Stay on top of weeds by first pulling any that are blooming, before they set seeds.
- Start a compost pile, or turn your existing one. Sprinkle it with water to keep it moist.
- Clean the filter in water features, and add extra aeration to fish ponds in high temperatures.
- Refresh the water in fountains and birdbaths.
- Reduce fertilizing, and don’t put fertilizer on dry soil. Use water-soluble fertilizers or compost instead of granules.
- Make sure your lawn and garden receives an inch of water per week. Water deeply, at the root zone, and avoid spraying the foliage.
- Begin ordering bulbs and seeds for fall planting.
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