July Gardening Activities – Region 2
Southwest, Desert, Interior Valleys/Southern California Gardens
States in this region include: Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (western) and California (Desert, Interior Valleys, Southern).
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Keep up with watering your veggies - especially your tomatoes! With their big leaves, ample root systems, and our sunny days, water loss through tomato leaves is very high this time of year.
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Try succession plantings of squash, carrots, pole and bush beans, leaf lettuce and sweet corn for a productive crop. This will provide you with fresh vegetables well into fall.
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Wear loose, light-colored, lightweight clothing when working in the garden. (And don't forget the hat, sunscreen and water bottle!) Early morning and evening hours are the coolest times to work outside. Remember to pace yourself - the garden will be there tomorrow.
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Mulch your landscape beds, if you haven't already! A few inches of organic mulch is all you need to keep weeds at bay, conserve needed soil moisture and protect roots from the scorching sun. (A word to the wise: Never mound mulch around the crown or trunk of plants; keep it a few inches away.)
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Keep the kids busy over summer with fun, memorable projects that give little fingers and creative minds something to do beyond text messaging and video games.
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Continue to harvest vegetables as they ripen, and remember to share any excess produce - perhaps with a food co-op or shelter. (This is a thoughtful act of kindness, as well as a great lesson for the kids!)
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Get rid of any weeds in landscape beds and borders; they'll rob your plants of vital nutrients and water.
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Inspect your irrigation equipment regularly and repair any problems. Make sure sprinklers are running the proper length of time, as well as watering deeply and responsibly so they're not wasting water.
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Get out your camera and garden journal - it's time to take inventory of what's doing well (and what's struggling) in your garden! Documenting how your garden grows will help you decide what to plant next season. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so photograph the good (for replication next year), capture the bad (so mistakes aren't repeated) and avoid the ugly next year.
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Protect your home from nature's flames - hot, dry conditions can spell F-I-R-E! Firescape your landscape: Clear a defensible space around your property and plant water-holding plants (like cacti and succulents) along your perimeters. Trees, shrubs and small plants next to your house can create a "fire ladder" that can instantly ignite your house in a wildfire. Dry plants are especially dangerous, so keep them watered and healthy!
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Use a drip irrigation system for watering containers, planters and baskets. It's a great way to conserve water, while providing your planters with the attention they need.
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Cutback leggy or ratty-looking annuals by 1/3 or more to encourage new growth and flowers. (Besides, it will give your beds, baskets and planters a tidy, neater appearance.) Liquid-feed them after pruning to give them a much needed boost.
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Feed your crape myrtles with a balanced fertilizer; a slow (timed) release product works well. Feeding them now means deep-green leaves and plenty of flowers later in the summer. And don't forget: While crape myrtles do well in droughty situations, they respond best when watered frequently.
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As hot as it is, you can still plant heat-loving plants in the garden, like marigolds, zinnias, gaillardias, petunias, lisianthus, impatiens, vincas, gerberas, gazanias and coreopsis. Coneflowers are also a good choice - this perennial begins blooming in late June and continues into September.
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Come to The Garden Party and share your gardening adventures with other home gardeners around the country! Post pictures of your garden, write a blog or ask expert green thumbs for more help, tips or suggestions.
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