Gardening Chores - July

July:

July is typically the hottest month, so watering is your top priority. Ensure all plants, especially those in pots, are well-hydrated. Beware the warm weather will also encourage pests to multiply, so make sure to use pest control to protect your plants. This is also a highly rewarding month as you begin to harvest a wide variety of your own vegetables and fruits. Remember to keep on top of deadheading and weeding to keep your garden looking its best.

In the Flower Garden

Water containers and new plants daily or as needed, especially in dry weather.
Regularly deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials to encourage a continuous display of blooms.
Feed roses and remove any dead blooms to encourage a second flush of flowers later in the season.
Keep your beds and borders weed-free by hoeing regularly.
Mulch beds to help them retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.
Get a head start on autumn colour by planting bulbs like autumn-flowering crocuses, amaryllis, and nerine.
Feed containerised plants weekly and keep them well-watered.
Take cuttings from hydrangeas, pelargoniums, and forsythia to create new plants.
Trim hedges regularly to create denser growth.

The Vegetable Plot

Pick courgettes regularly to prevent them from turning into giant marrows.
Lift early potatoes for a delicious summer harvest.
You can still sow a variety of crops for a late harvest, including spring cabbage, chicory, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, French beans, beetroot, carrots, and radishes.
Plant out leeks that you started in pots and water them in well.
Keep vegetable plots as weed-free as possible by hoeing regularly.
Pinch out the tops of broad beans to prevent them from attracting blackfly.

Fruit Garden

Treat apples for scab and other diseases if needed.
Spray gooseberries with insecticide to keep away caterpillars and greenfly.
Give fruit trees and bushes a good watering, especially during dry periods.
Thin out apples, pears, and plums if needed to ensure the remaining fruit grows larger and healthier.
Pick soft fruit as it ripens.
Retain strawberry runners to create new plants for next year and remove unwanted runners to encourage stronger growth in the parent plant.

In the Greenhouse

Ensure good ventilation by keeping doors and vents open.
Consider using shading to prevent plants from scorching in the heat.
Check for pests including red spider mite, whitefly, and aphids.

Lawns & Hedges

Keep mowing your lawn regularly, but if we are in a drought, leave it slightly higher than usual to help it retain moisture.
Use a sprinkler once a week to keep your lawn green, especially if it's a new one.
Feed your lawn with a summer feed.

Pest & Weed Control

Keep an eye out for pests such as beetles, vine weevils, and aphids and treat your plants accordingly.
Stay on top of slugs and snails using pellets or your preferred method of removal.
Wash off caterpillar eggs from the underside of leafy vegetables.

Garden Care & Maintenance

Tie back climbers and rambling plants as they grow to give them support.
Prune back plants that flowered in June.
Paint furniture and other garden woodwork with paint or a preserver while the weather is dry.
Make sure that trees and plants do not dry out in the heat.