With temperatures soaring in the 90's, gardening in the South Central region of the U.S. slows down this month. But there are still plenty of tasks to put on that gardening to-do list! This is prime time to complete maintenance chores and start those fall veggie plants. Here are some July garden tasks to tackle:
July Garden Tasks
Lawn
Will you continue to irrigate the lawn during the hottest, driest part of the summer or will you allow the grass to go dormant? Your decision will impact the lawn care tasks on your July gardening to-do list.
Dormant lawns: Discontinue fertilizing this month, but periodically mow to remove weed growth and seed heads. This is a good time to catch those clippings so as not to redistribute weed seeds throughout the lawn.
Irrigated lawns: Water deeply and mow high to encourage root growth. As temperatures soar, mow less frequently during the cooler part of the day.
All lawns: Keep an eye out for pests and disease, such as brown patch, grubs and chinch bugs.
Flowerbeds
Summer-blooming annuals add robust color to the South Central garden in July. Keep those flowers well-watered during the dog days of summer and you'll be rewarded with a continuation of blossoms well into the fall. Here's a few more items for your flower gardening to-do list:
- Deadhead flowers.
- Continue to weed. Add more mulch, if needed.
- Begin dividing irises.
- Fertilize and pinch back chrysanthemums.
- Water hanging baskets and containers at least once daily.
Vegetables
When rainfall amounts are less than 1 inch (2.5 cm.) per week, provide supplemental water for productive vegetable gardening in the South Central region. Whether by watering can, a hose or an irrigation system, water deeply and less frequently. Mulch to keep soil temperatures cooler and control weeds. Include these other chores on your July garden tasks:
- Continue to harvest beets, corn, cucumbers, melon, summer squash, sweet corn and tomatoes this month.
- Prepare vegetable garden beds for fall crops.
- Transplant tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings into the garden.
- Sow Lima beans, melon, pumpkin and squash seeds.
Miscellaneous
Not all July garden tasks on your gardening to-do list require outside attendance. Try performing these activities in the comfort of air conditioning:
- Arrange for broken equipment to be repaired.
- Drop off mower blades for mid-season sharpening.
- Propagate shrubs and perennial flowers from cuttings.
- Collect and dry vegetable seeds for next year.
- Create a beautiful flower arrangement from garden-picked flowers.
- Take photos of the garden and post on social media.
- Begin planning for next year's garden.