As much of the US, and other countries are roasting in summer’s heat. July can also be a time of abundance in your garden.
Summer storms can bring downpours that give plants a flush of water for quick spirts of plant growth.
This is why doing a mid-season assessment of what is happening in your garden will clarify how to keep your garden flourishing the rest of the summer.
Take a cool morning, mid-day break or evening to slow down and observe what is happening in your garden. This will allow you to see where to take action.
Reflect – What’s Thriving and What’s Struggling?
We love those signs your plants are doing well.
The fun part tends to be seeing what plants and crops are thriving and producing. Perhaps you’ll find a huge zucchini hidden under those huge leaves, or start getting so many cherry tomatoes you can gift some to friends.
Then there are those plants that are not doing great.
Look for mid-season stress indicators such as wilting leaves and signs of nutrient deficiencies.
WILTING LEAVES
If you see wilting leaves, notice if they only wilt in the heat of the day, but perk up overnight.
Heat stress can wilt leaves either temporarily or permanently.
Leaves can also wilt from a disease or bug predation. Yellowed leaves are often a disease and some insects can severely damage plants and cause leaves to wilt.
Wilting can also be a sign of lack of water. Perhaps you have not had rain and been busy and not watered. Sometimes, this is all you need to do.
See my post on watering your summer garden to pro tips on how best to handling watering in heat.
Squash Vine borers are a good example of this. See my article on dealing with them.
Keeping a garden journal in some form is a great way to start cataloging what is happening in your garden.
Observation and documenting what you see are the first steps to mitigating critters and diseases with an Integrated Pest Management System. You can get my Integrated Pest Management Workshop to creating yours including my worksheets, created specifically for home gardeners.
Prune, Train, Deadhead, and Thin as Summer Garden Maintenance
Let’s look at some pro tips for pruning tomato plants, squash, and herbs.
Prune
If you live in a humid place, then pruning your tomato plants is essential to keep them from getting diseased. Aeration is the key to preventing tomato diseases.
I make sure to keep the leaves pruned from the bottom 12 inches of tomato plants. Also prune out excess leaves inside the plant. Get everything you need to get an abundant tomato harvest with my Grow Great Tomatoes Master Class.
I do try and save plants that have gotten some disease.
First by removing the diseased leaves. Observe if the plant starts to bounce back after you do this. If not, if the plant continues to get more signs of disease then it may be best to take the plant out, clean up around it to be sure to get any potentially diseased leaves, and throw the leaves away. Don’t put them in your compost.
This may sound like a bummer, but it gives you the opportunity to plant something else that may thrive better.
For example, you could seed some basil, which are good companions for tomatoes and will give you some fresh basil later in the season. Watch your temperatures though as the basil germinates best in temperatures between 75° and 85° degrees. If it is hotter, they may not germinate as well.
You can always mulch the area well and save it for planting fall crops. See my post on planning your fall and winter garden in summer .
Train
Some crops do better when trellised like cucumbers. Small melons and vining squash can also be trellised.
Dead Head
Deadheading is the task of cutting dead flowers. You can keep flowers pruned and bring them inside to enjoy, or you can let them dry and save the seeds. No matter how you do it, keeping your flower heads trimmed will keep them blooming longer.
Thin
Bush beans can be thinned so they are not too close together.
I like to plant my bush bean seeds 8” to 12” apart. If some don’t come up, I reseed and end up with a succession of beans in the row.
Succession Plant Summer Crops & Start Fall Crops
You can succession plant several crops in July such as bush beans, potatoes and zucchini.
When bush beans start to stop producing, simply pull the plants and direct seed more.
A few years ago we forgot to plant our potatoes – oops 😯 so we went ahead and experimented with planting them in mid-summer. It was a happy accident as we dig fresh potatoes in December. 🥔❄️
As I wrote about in a previous article, mid-summer is the time to start fall crops you want to transplant like broccoli, cabbage, chard and kale. Save direct seeding cool season crops until later in the year though, as they won’t germinate well when it is hot. I have a seed germination chart in that fall garden planning post.
If you do want to sow seeds in hot weather, try and keep seeded areas in the shade of other plants or under shade cloth. Plant them in the evening and water them well so they have the cooler night temperatures to start. Keep them well watered, but don’t drown them either. You soil should be moist, not dry or waterlogged. Don’t use all your seed, test some to see how they do in you mid-summer climate. If they germinate well, then you can plant some more.
By replacing underperforming crops, you will better utilize your garden space.
Refresh and Rebuild Soil
If you plants don’t have much leaf growth, your soil might be lacking in nitrogen. In this case you can add some coffee grounds. You can also add some compost or worm castings to freshen up your soil.
In summer’s heat, it is super important to keep your soil covered not only to control weeds but also to retain moisture in the soil.
Mulch keeps the roots of your plants cooler, which your plants will appreciate. Read my article on mulching your vegetable garden.
Plan Ahead – Summer Seed Saving
A great thing to do on these hot lazy summer days is saving seeds from early maturing plants that can be planted next year.
Remember, that gardening is a process. We celebrate what’s working and make informed changes for the time at hand, and for next year.
If something hasn’t done well in your garden, that is ok! Every year something thrives and something doesn’t in my garden and the gardens of my friends. This is simply part of the process. It is one way we grow and learn.
If you have any July garden wins let me know and if you have questions, let me know that too here.
Summer Garden Maintenance Checklist
This reusable checklist keeps you on track with veggie, herb and flower summer garden maintenance.