July Gardening Activities – Region 4
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Gardens
States in this region include: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, DC, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, Texas (eastern), Arkansas, and Tennessee.
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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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Weeds are beginning to take over many lawns and garden beds this time of year. Early action is your best defense. The first step is to know what kind of weed you're dealing with before getting rid of it. With some weeds, hand-pulling can actually do more harm than good, and not all weed killers are the same. (It's important to know what the weed is so the right weed killer can be applied at the right time. And as always, read and follow all label information and directions!) Not sure what a particular weed in your garden is or how to deal with it? Contact your local Cooperative Extension office for assistance with identification and control.
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Think ahead! Start seed of cool-season crops like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts for harvesting later this fall. Seeds can be directly sown in your vegetable garden or started in seed trays for transplanting in the garden later this summer.
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Continue to harvest vegetables in your garden 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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Mow your lawn, regardless of grass species, a little higher than usual so that roots grow more deeply and grass is less stressed with summer's abusive heat and humidity. Roots also grow deeply when you properly water your lawn. (Healthy turf should be moist down to about 5 inches.)
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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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Replace any annuals that perform poorly in high heat and humidity with more tolerant annuals. But be warned: Heat-tolerant plants don't exhibit such tolerance until they're well-established, so be sure to care for them well after planting!
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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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Enlist a trustworthy neighbor or gardening friend to care for your lawn and garden while you're away on vacation. To make sure your plants (and friendship) survive, invite your "garden babysitter" over to your yard before you leave, so you can clearly discuss your task expectations.
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Cure annual decline. High daytime and warm overnight temperatures can often cause annual flowers to become leggy or stop flowering. Water annuals deeply, feed them continually, and consider trimming back leggy salvias, impatiens, petunias, French marigolds, coleus, basil, oregano and mint to encourage new growth (and then flowering) later this summer.
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Grow rosemary, basil, sage and tarragon - it's easy in the summer garden! Then take the time to make your own dried herbs, oils and infusions so you can enjoy your summer harvest when the snow flies!
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Care for and maintain perennials: Deadhead any spent flowers; cut back catmint to encourage another round of blooms; hand-pull any weeds that crop up; and divide, clean and reset iris rhizomes.
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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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