July Gardening Activities – Region 3
Northeast, Midwest and Central Plains Gardens
States in this region include: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana.
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Keep your summer vegetable garden in production mode! As one crop finishes, rip it out, compost it, then plant another! Here are some examples: If you plant a row or two of beans this month, you’ll have ample beans for blanching and freezing for the winter months ahead. And radish is a quick crop – depending on the variety, you could be harvesting this veggie in 4 short weeks!
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Think ahead!
Start seeds
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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Before going on your
summer vacation, enlist a trustworthy neighbor or gardening friend to care for your lawn and garden while you’re away. 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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Give your
lawn
a refreshing drink…repeatedly. It needs long, thorough waterings, especially in high temps. Give it 1-2 inches of water per week, with as much of that in one application as possible, to help keep the grass healthy and green. (But be prepared: It could take several hours to apply that needed amount of water.)
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Keep your annuals looking their colorful best: Deadhead any spent flowers (to encourage more blooms), keep up with watering (check beds and containers daily), and liquid-feed (according to label directions) to encourage additional flowers through the season.
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Work on your 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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Got mulch? If your landscape beds haven’t been mulched yet, it’s time to get it done! A few inches of organic mulch is all that’s needed to keep weeds at bay, conserve needed soil moisture and protect roots from the hot, 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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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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