Summer Success: July Tips for Happy Plants and Healthy Crops

 

I’m thinking it’s been a busy time for our gardeners in May/June, so let’s look where that leaves us as July begins!

 

Garden Lawns

Our lawns have gone through it a bit with a cold, wet early spring followed by hot, dry weather leading to talk of water shortages this summer.

So let’s take a look at our lawns in July and what we can do to keep them in tip-top condition!

 

Watering may or may not be possible as the summer progresses, but assuming it is and the soil is really dry, then better to give a real soaking occasionally than a little every evening (this will just evaporate in hot weather) and do no good.) It’s unlikely a new lawn has been sown or laid, but even established lawns – need sufficient watering.

 

Mowing in hot weather?

 – there is a good case for leaving the grass clippings after mowings to act as a surface mulch for the lawn.

 

Lawn looking rather pale?

– well you can still apply a grass fertilizer early this month. Any later you may scorch the tender leaves in the summer heat.

 

The Flower Garden

There’s a lot to do in your July flower borders!

Regular watering and feeding are essential for good results all summer.

Remember that hanging baskets may need watering twice a day in hot weather! It’s a lot of work and then of course you need to liquid feed regularly!

 

Here’s a tip!

Next year buy a jar of ‘slow release’ fertilizer granules! Add the required amount into the compost as you fill your basket or container and mix well. Your plants will be fed and look great throughout the growing season!

Are you planting outside this summer?

Watering again may be a problem! A layer of ‘Mulching’ is a great idea! Mulch is usually made from grass cuttings (as long as they contain no residual weedkiller), milled bark or well-rotted farm yard manure! The above are great to retain moisture in the underlying soil.

Remember to constantly ‘dead-head’ fading flowers of annual and perennials to encourage further flowering throughout the summer.

Now’s the time to cut back the fading shoots of tall perennials like delphiniums. This will encourage new shoots to form and another flush of flowers later in the summer.

It’s time for planting autumn planting bulbs like nerine and amaryllis.

Don’t forget your climbing plants. Shoots get a little vigorous this time of year so tuck or tie them in for tidiness.

 

The Vegetable Plot

Nothing beats the taste of fresh garden crops!!

Many plants will be into cropping by this time, but yet again, regular watering is essential!

 

In the greenhouse

Feed tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers regularly using a tomato fertilizer – they are voracious feeders!

Remove the side shoots of upright tomatoes to ensure the energy goes into growing the fruit.

Unless you are planning to train shoots horizontally along the roof bars, then remove the top growing point when the main shoot reaches the roof. This will promote fruit ripening.

The same is true with cucumbers. Aubergine plants should be stopped when the plant has formed 4-5 fruit.

 

Outside too, growth is rapid!

Your courgettes may already be cropping.

•Tip

– recent research has found that removing the first courgette fruit before it matures results in an increased total yield from the parent plant!

Why?

‘Don’t ask me’, but it comes from a respected scientific source.

Remember to pick your courgettes young for the best taste and that continual picking will maximise the yield! Like courgettes, pick your runner beans regularly. Leaving older pods on the plants will encourage them to go to seed.

 

Make it a habit to check for pests and diseases daily.

Early discovery makes control easier! As many people tell me, slugs and snails are a nightmare this year, but my wife loves her runner beans, so she’s out there late evening with her torch and she doesn’t take prisoners!!

Cabbages and other brassicas should be growing well. Apply a fertilizer if the leaves begin to look a little pale!

Trying garlic this year and wondering when to harvest?

Well, watch the stems and when they begin to yellow and start to bend over, then they are ready!

Don’t forget to keep up with the watering. In warm weather you will probably be watering daily!

 

The Fruit Patch

Water again can be key at this time.

We spoke about the use of mulching earlier for flowers and the same applies for fruit. Regular watering is essential to swell developing fruit.

 

Use farm straw to ‘straw-down’ under your strawberries to protect the ripening fruit.

Strawberry runners are being formed at this time. Like more plants? Then peg down the end of a few new shoots formed into the soil. They will soon root, forming new plants.

 

Are your fruit trees covered in small fruit?

This normally means that the fruit ‘set’ has been very good. It can be an arduous task but removing some of these will result in other fruit growing to normal size!

Protect your ripening fruit by covering with horticultural netting – you don’t want to let too much go to our feathered friends!

 

Roses & Shrubs

‘Dead- heading’ is just as important in your rose and shrub borders to promote and prolong flowering throughout the summer.

Early flowering shrubs like wisteria and lilac will have finished their summer flowering and can now have their annual pruning.

 

Want to produce some new plants from your border?

Now’s the time to take softwood cuttings.

 

August is always one of the busiest garden months!

So far, the summer has not treated us too badly – but there is still time for surprises!

 

Enjoy your gardening month!