Garden Jobs to do in July

Garden Jobs for July

Where is this year going? Its July already, I’ve only just managed to start reading this months The Garden because I’ve been so busy. So this month as usual there is plenty for you to be doing in your lovely gardens.

Garden Jobs

Clean with disinfectant and keep filling up your bird baths to stop them from growing algae and spreading diseases such as bird pox.
Remove any Lily Beetle poo that’s on your plants as this can cause damage to the foliage of your lily plants.
Divide your bearded Irises.
Deadhead your summer bedding plants and roses to encourage more flowers.
If you grow Geraniums and they have already flowered, cut them back to ground level, the famous Chelsea chop to encourage a new flourish of flowers.
Keep watering your pots and everywhere else when we have very dry spells.
Keep tying in new stems of your climbers.
Now’s a good time to plant autumn flowering bulbs such as Colchicum.
If we have any droughts then cut your grass higher than normal to water retention, also avoid feeding with a high nitrogen mix.
Water your newly planted trees, don’t let them dry out too much, but again don’t over water them.
Feed your container plants with a liquid feed.
If you want to try propagating your Camellias, Rhododendrons, Lavender, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme now is a great time to do summer cuttings.
Now is also a good time to prune your Wisteria to within five or six buds off the main stem from this summers growth.

Veggie Plot to do List

Finish transplanting your leeks.
Water your tomatoes evenly so you don’t get blossom end rot or splitting, I nearly called it bottom end rot.
Tie in your stems of blackberries, raspberries and other cane fruit ready for next year.
Keep regularly harvesting your courgettes and beans to help encourage more.
Harvest your onions, garlic and shallots as they become ready.
If you have planted early potatoes now’s a good time to see if they are ready for harvesting, lift one of your plants first and check to see if the tubers are around egg size.
If you can thin out top fruit e.g. plums and apples so that the trees can produce better bigger fruit. Unfortunately I never had time too and I still get beautiful fruit, nature in my garden seems to get rid of the excessive fruit for me.
Water your soft fruit to encourage good fruit production.
Protect your ripening soft fruit from birds with a net. Remember though that birds will defy you and they will find any small holes you can’t see.
Start thinking about spring and sow your spring cabbage, turnips, oriental vegetables, chicory and fennel now.