Gardening in the Midwest keeps us on our toes. Here are my top July gardening tips to help you make the most of your garden this month, support pollinators and keep everything looking its best.
July Garden To-Do List
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- Weed, weed, weed. It’s that time of year when weeds are popping up everywhere, no matter the conditions. Make weeding a weekly part of your garden routine. After weeding, add a few inches of mulch as needed.
- Did life happen, but the garden didn’t? There’s still time. Whether your veggie garden is still waiting to be planted or just needs a little TLC, don’t throw in the trowel. Check out my post, Running Late? 7 Simple Steps That Will Rescue Your Garden, for practical tips to get back on track.
- Water, water, and water some more! When Mother Nature provides less than one inch of rain per week, be sure to supplement water for your vegetables, flower pots, annuals and newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials.
- Pinch back mum buds through early July to encourage bigger blooms on stronger stems.
- Remove flowers from coleus to keep their leaves looking fabulous.
- Any remaining spring bulb foliage should pull away easily by now. If not, it’s fine to cut it back by half to tidy up the garden.
- Deadhead (trim off spent blooms) regularly. This practice will keep your gardens looking their best and will often encourage new blooms.
- Following deadheading, fertilize your annuals every 10 days to two weeks to keep containers and flower beds looking their best. You’ll find my favorite fertilizing techniques made easy in the Nutrition section of my gardening must-haves post.
- Lettuce is likely starting to bolt (sending up tall stalks) and turning bitter. Remove bolted lettuce. You’ll be able to replant from seed in a few weeks. My free downloadable grow guide can help you plan.
- Harvest early and often. Check your vegetable garden daily and pick your veggies when they are at their peak. Frequent harvesting encourages many vegetables to keep producing. Looking for ideas for using your harvest? Check out my favorite garden-fresh recipes.
- Harvest your herbs regularly to keep them looking and tasting great. Cut off flowers to prevent them from going to seed.
- Keep hummingbird feeders clean and nectar fresh. Hot weather means nectar spoils faster. This hummingbird post includes my feeder-cleaning tips and a handy nectar change chart.
- Sometimes tough love is the best choice. If a tree or shrub is still struggling from winter damage, showing significant dieback or you’ve been trying to nurse it along for years, it may be time to let it go. The good news? Late summer through fall is an excellent time to replace it with something healthier and better suited to your landscape.
- Spring starts now! It’s time to start dreaming. Browse this year’s bulb catalogs or shop online, and order early for the best selection before the favorites are gone.
- Support all pollinators by planting nectar-rich annuals and perennials and providing a clean source of water. See BEE-low for all the deets! 🐝
Helpful Garden Resources
🌼 Ultimate Pollinator Garden Guide
Pollinators play a critical role in our gardens. Whether you’re starting from scratch or adding a few pollinator-friendly plants, my free guide will help you create a garden that supports bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects all season long.
🛠️ Garden Must-Haves
Looking for garden tools, supplies and other helpful finds? I’ve gathered some of my favorite recommendations in one convenient spot.
Don’t Forget
July is no time to throw in the trowel. Even if your garden isn’t exactly where you hoped it would be by now, there’s still plenty of season left to weed, water, deadhead, harvest and freshen things up. Tackle a little at a time, keep enjoying the progress and remember that even midsummer garden maintenance pays off in a big way later on.✨
