July Gardening To Do List

• Reap herbs for maximum flavor by harvesting them as the first flower buds appear
• Lanky annuals need your help! Pinch them back now to encourage bushy growth and more flowers.
• Don't forget watering chores: potted plants, especially, dry out quickly in warm weather
• Set out warm season vegetables and annuals
• Harvest veggies as soon as they're ripe to encourage further production
• Avoid weed-infested gardens: weed before you leave on vacation
• Mulching around trees prevents mower damage and weed whacker blight
• The best time to cut flowers for vases? Early in the day when stems are firm and water filled.
• Maintain a thick layer (3 to 4 inches) of mulch on flower and vegetable gardens. It conserves moisture, reduces weeds, and adds organic matter to the soil.
• Deadhead the faded roses you haven't cut by taking off the spent flower stems down to a five-leaflet leaf

Zone 2

• Create your own gardener's gold! Start a compost pile.
• Now that temperatures have warmed, plant summer-flowering bulbs and tubers
• Sow biennial seeds (hollyhocks, English daisies, foxgloves, violas, Canterbury bells, and sweet William) for flowers next year
• Tall flowers, such as lupines and foxgloves, need staked support against the wind
• To maintain freshness, cool fruits and veggies (except tomatoes) as quickly as possible after harvest
• Relax -- there's no need to fertilize the lawn in midsummer
• Harvest veggies regularly; avoid rotting produce that attracts insects and reduces yields
• Cut stems of annual herbs just above a pair of leaves, allowing 4 to 6 inches of plant to remain for regrowth and additional harvest
• Leave the larvae on dill and carrots for beautiful fall butterflies
• Note the native plants in bloom this month and include them in your own wildflower garden

• Now's the time to start seeds of cool-season vegetables for fall growing
• Rogue out (remove) virus-infected plants from the garden and control leaf-hopping insects to prevent virus spread
• By pruning off faded blooms from annuals, you can prevent seed formation and coax additional flowers
• Mulch flowerbeds with dried grass clipping or compost to maintain moisture and reduce weeds
• Save maintenance and water by allowing perennial rye and Kentucky blue grass lawns to go dormant during the summer
• Raspberries are ripe when they pull readily from the central core
• Prune water sprouts (upright, vigorous shoots) from apple trees
• Avoid deep cultivation around shallow rooted trees and shrubs such as evergreens
• Add a water-soluble fertilizer to hanging baskets and patio pots every 2 weeks to keep plants blooming their best
• Cut flowers for drying at their prime or when just opening

Zone 4

• Add one last planting of gladioli bulbs for flowers into fall
• Harvest veggies as soon as they're ripe to encourage further production
• Avoid the sight of a weed-infested garden: weed first before you leave on vacation
• Harvest sweet corn when silks are brown and punctured kernels produce a milky juice
• Prevent blossom-end rot on tomatoes by providing plants with at least an inch of water each week
• Let melons ripen on the vine--this is where they will develop their best flavor
• Start fall garden transplants from seed
• Petunias, coleus and other summer annuals might be leggy by now. Pinch them back just above a leaf to encourage bushy growth and more flowers
• Leave faded flowers on those plants that form ornamental seed heads, pods, or berries
• Provide water in a shallow pan or birdbath for your feathered and fluttering friends

Zone 5

• Remove annuals with stunted or unusual color; these are usually virus infected and the disease can spread to neighboring healthy plants
• To control disease on fruit trees, maintain a summer spray schedule
• Clean hummingbird feeders filled with nectar solution regularly to ward off mold and bacteria
• Consider drip irrigation and/or soaker hoses for watering in the flowerbed and vegetable garden
• Bats help control mosquitoes; attract these friendly mammals with bat houses
• Muskmelons and cantaloupes are ready for picking when the stem "slips" easily from the fruit with gentle pressure
• Harvest veggies as soon as they're ripe to encourage additional production
• Sharp mower blades prevent leaf blade damage and lawn stress
• Prevent diseases on susceptible rose varieties: apply fungicide every 7-10 days
• Lanky annuals need your help! Pinch them back now to encourage bushy growth and more flowers

Zone 6

• Deadhead blooming annuals and perennials for repeat flowering
• Harvest veggies immediately when ripe; rotting produce attracts insects
• Avoid weed-infested gardens: weed before you leave on vacation
• Water hanging baskets and patio pots daily during warm weather
• Fertilize annual flowerbeds with an all-purpose fertilizer to encourage more blooms
• Harvest lavender stems for use in bath sachets or drying
• Sharp shears make quick work of herb and flower harvests
• Mow cool season grasses at 3 inches during the summer to shade and insulate the soil
• Enjoy a glass of tea flavored with mint, pineapple sage, or lemon balm from the garden
• Provide birds and butterflies with a shallow water source

Zone 7

• Remove faded flowers from perennials after they finish blooming. Deadheading redirects energy towards healthy roots.
• Maintain a 3 to 4 inch mulch layer around trees and shrubs to protect them from mower and weed whacker damage.
• Check plants regularly for insect problems; hand pick or use suitable control measures if found
• Fertilize warm-season grasses
• Plant butterfly nectar and larval food plants such as asclepias, buddleia, and passionflower
• Replace spent annuals with heat-tolerant lantana, verbena, pentas, and hibiscus
• Consider drip irrigation and/or soaker hoses as efficient watering alternatives
• Harvest raspberries and blackberries daily to avoid attracting insects to overripe fruit
• Prune water sprouts from apple trees
• Water flowerbeds and vegetable gardens deeply. This encourages a deep root system
• Plant okra, green beans, cukes, pumpkins, melons, summer and winter squashes, peppers and tomatoes for a September harvest. Select early varieties (about 80 days) of tomatoes and peppers. Toward the end of the month, start carrots where the soil is loose and mellow, to a depth of 8 inches or more (Nantes type, shorter and blunter, do best for me here with my red clay soil). Shade the seeds after planting.
• Harvest your Irish potatoes when the tops begin to brown and die back.
• If need be, cut off up to a third off your tomatoes to keep them from overwhelming their posts or cages. Leave some leaves to protect the fruit against sunburn.
• Prune fruit trees, including apples, and ornamentals. Summer pruning helps keep trees smaller and easier to maintain. A few exceptions: don't cut your azaleas, hollies, camellias and other plants that flower in the fall or early spring or make berries in the fall -- you'll lop off their flowers and fruits; and don't prune dogwoods during the summer when borers (a moth larva) are present. If you spot an entrance hole, you can inject a squirt of B.T. or a thin wire to kill the caterpillar.
• Watch out for fireblight in apples and pears; remove infected areas several inches into unaffected parts of the branch, and disinfect your shears with bleach or alcohol between cuts.
• Water roses regularly, one inch per week. Prune your old fashioned and climbing roses after they've finished blooming. Secure climbing roses to the trellis as they grow. Remove diseased vegetation and deadheaded flowers. Keep fresh mulch in place.
• Prune crape myrtle blossoms after they fade to extend the flowering period.
• Pinch back bedding plants to encourage bushiness. Give your mums a final good pinch, too.
• Deadhead--remove spent blooms--lilies, glads and other flowers, but leave the foliage -- summer bulbs need leaves to build up reserves, just like spring bulbs do. Keep after the mush mummies on your daylilies (Hemerocallis).
• Many tropical houseplants love to spend at least part of the summer outdoors in Zone 7. All the watering in the summertime causes nutrients to wash out of pots, so feed your container plants every 2-3 weeks with a dilute organic liquid fertilizer or compost tea.
• Direct seed or transplant cleome, cosmos, gomphrena (globe amaranth), nicotiana, salvias, sunflowers, tithonia (Mexican sunflower) and zinnias in the sun. In shade, coleus and impatiens thrive, as do wax begonias.
• Seed cool season flowers in flats, including pansies, snaps, primroses, sweet alyssum and ornamental kales and cabbages. Give pansy seed a chill treatment in the refrigerator (not the freezer) 10-14 days before sowing.
• Keep up with weeding. Don't let summer weeds go to seed.
• If you have a pest problem, be sure to identify the problem accurately before you begin treatment. Use the least toxic and most focused solution and keep in mind that all 'broad-spectrum' products, even organic ones, can harm beneficial organisms.
• Pick off Japanese beetles early or late in the day when it is cool and they are a bit sluggish. You can control the grubs this coming fall by applying milky spore to your soil. This approach works best if your neighbors apply the spores as well.
• Handpick bagworm bags on evergreens. Pesticides are worthless once the caterpillars are safe in their bags.

Zone 8

• Start basil seedlings for a fall herb garden
• Mow warm-season grasses at a height of 2.5 to 3 inches; apply at least an inch of water a week
• Prevent rose diseases with a fungicide spray program
• For longest vase life, harvest cut flowers just as they begin to open and condition them in floral preservative
• Fertilize container plants every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer solution for best bloom
• Keep annuals in bloom by removing faded flowers
• Bats help control mosquitoes; attract these friendly mammals with bat houses
• Help trees survive the heat by mulching heavily over the root system--avoid mulch too close to the trunk
• Water your garden more efficiently with drip irrigation or soaker hoses
• Save space in the garden with trellises, fences, and stakes-harvest is easier too

Zone 9

• Cultivate your own tropical paradise going by planting palms, bananas, and fruit trees
• Start tomato transplants for your fall vegetable garden
• A sunny yellow garden of cosmos, sunflowers, and zinnias brightens up the summer landscape
• Mow warm-season grasses at a height of 2.5 to 3 inches; apply at least an inch of water weekly
• Inspect plants for possible insect pest problems
• Attract butterflies to the garden by providing caterpillar food plants like carrots, dill, and parsley
• Beat the heat with durable annuals like zinnia, sunflower, and celosia
• Hibiscus makes a great addition to hanging baskets, patio pots, or flowerbeds
• Clean hummingbird feeders regularly to prevent mold and bacteria growth
• Get the most from garden space by installing trellises and stakes for plants to grow up on--harvest is easier too

Zone 10

• Start tomato seedlings for your fall garden; consider container varieties for your patio
• Remove dying foliage regularly from water garden to maintain a healthy pond pH
• Water gardens and yards early in the morning before the wind comes up; apply at least an inch of water weekly
• Remove grass from around trees and shrubs and replace with moisture-conserving mulch
• To build up delicious nutmeats, thoroughly water nut trees
• A mixture of flower colors, sizes and bloom times provides butterfly nectar throughout the season
• Plant a variety of basil flavors for a fall herb garden
• Check the filter in your water garden for clogs
• Install drip irrigation in the vegetable garden and flowerbeds to water more efficiently
• Plant morning glory vines to provide nectar for hummingbirds

Zone 11

• Gasping fish at the water garden's surface need additional oxygen from cleaner water
• Inspect plants regularly for potential pest problems
• Fertilize container plants every 2 weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer for best bloom
• A mixture of flower colors, sizes, and bloom times will attract butterflies throughout the season
• Remove grass from the area directly around trees and shrubs and replace with moisture conserving mulch
• Keep an eye on the water garden during hot spells and provide additional aeration and/or mist the water to help cool it
• Hummingbirds love shrimp plants, four o'clocks, and morning glories; include these in your garden and you're sure to have regular visitors
• Water gardens and yards early in the morning before wind levels increase
• The best time to cut flowers for vases? Early in the day when stems are firm and water filled.
• Lawns should be cut at 2 1/2 to 3 inches; mow frequently enough to remove only 1/3 of the leaf surface at any one time

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