In the Garden: July
Monthly guide for gardening tasks, forecasts, and more



"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." 
- Sam Keen  

Fertilize: Give annuals a complete fertilizer. Water well before and after application. Deadhead and fertilize roses. Fertilize young fruit trees (except pears) with a 3-1-2 ratio product at 1-2 cups per inch of trunk diameter.

Water: Water all planted areas deeply but infrequently during dry periods. Outdoor container plants need daily watering. Consider landscaping with drought resistant native plants in the future.

Soil: Mulch all bare soil. Turn compost pile and add new ingredients. Clean up spring vegetable gardens and replenish with compost.


Lawn Care:   Mow every 5-7 days and leave the clippings on the lawn. Watch for take-all patch. Set mower higher in shady areas to promote denser turf.

Diseases/Pests to Look for: 
spider mites, leaf rollers, lacebugs and aphids, chinch bugs, fleas, ticks, chiggers and grubs in lawns;
scale insects on euonymus, hollies, peaches and plums;
webworms in pecans and persimmons;
powdery mildew on crape myrtles and roses;
aphids on crape myrtle, roses and Mexican milkweed;
scale on peaches and plums.
Remove any diseased leaves from beds; do not add to compost.

Prune:   Remove vigorous growth from center of peach and plum trees to prevent shading of fruiting shoots. Tip new blackberry canes at 4’ to force side branches. Prune dead and damaged wood from trees and shrubs as needed.


Things To Plant In July:

Flower Plants:
ageratum, ajuga, alpine aster, balsam, blue daze, boltonia, cockscomb, silver dollar plant, periwinkle, portulaca, purslane, gloriosa daisy, mexican bush sage, sedum, stoke's aster, wax begonia, wishbone flower, vinca, zinnia

Flower Seeds:
ageratum, balsam, castor bean, cleome, cockscomb, cosmos, four-o'clock, gaillardia, impatiens, marigold, moonflower, morning glory, periwinkle, portulaca, tithonia, torenia, vinca, zinnia

Bulbs:
autumn crocus, liriope, lycoris, monkey grass



Vegetables
  • Early—Mid Month: Pumpkin, Sweet Potato    
  • Mid—Late Month: Corn, Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes
Additional to-dos:
  • Gather herbs and flowers to dry.
  • Preserve the bounty by freezing, canning or drying vegetables and fruits.



  • Plan fall gardens and prepare beds by removing perennial weeds before tilling

  • Add compost and fertilizer.

  • Drink lots of water,



Gardening tasks courtesy of the Garden Guide for Austin & Vicinity, published by the Travis County Master Gardener Association, copyright 2000-2002

8 comments:

  1. I'm trying to stay cool but it's not working.

    ReplyDelete
  2. from maggie's farm21 July, 2011

    it's just impossible isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. As long as this rain keeps up I promise to stay cool. Beautiful collages as always.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rain-greedy, I am! Want more cloud-love! Thank you, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was away for 3 days and wanted to cry. The lawn guy came and put down FERTILIZER when it has been 100 degrees and didn't tell me he was going to and of course it didn't rain, and I wasn't home to water...My lawn is so burned. UGH.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh, Winnie that is horrible! Hoping it grows out fast, (like a bad haircut), and get's mowed away, hopefully. Thanks for dropping by--with us both gone, I've missed your sweet notes. They always cheer me up just when I need cheering, it seems!

      Delete
  6. Great tips and a few nice reminders....I best go take care of a few things! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But it's just so darned HOT out there!

      Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete

Thank you for visiting Notes from Maggie's Farm. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...