JULY: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN YOUR VEGGIE GARDEN?

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July is one of the best months of summer. The weather is finally nice and hot, the kids are out of school, and there's plenty of fun to be had. It's also an exciting month in the garden since many of your fruits and veggies will be ripening perfectly for ultra-fresh summer meals. 

July is also a fairly busy month in the garden, so here are the things you should be doing in your Indianapolis garden this month. 

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START HARVESTING

Crops like cucumbers, beans, zucchini, and eggplants will be ready to eat very soon. Don't wait on harvesting your zucchini; it seems like they can grow 6 inches overnight, and they taste best when they're smaller and more tender. 6-8 inches long is the optimal size. Lots of berries, like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, are lush and tasty now; enjoy them daily!

STAY VIGILANT FOR PESTS

Keep checking your garden plants for pests, especially the underside of the leaves. A spray with the garden hose is usually enough to knock most of them off, and other predatory bugs should be coming around to snack on things like aphids soon. Be careful not to damage the plants with the water, just strong enough to wash those pesky bugs away.

July is time to start thinking about what you might want to grow a second crop of this year.

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QUENCH YOUR PLANT'S THIRST

July can be pretty hot, so your garden will likely need more frequent irrigation, especially as your plants produce loads of fruit right now. Cucumbers, in particular, will start to taste bitter if they don't get enough water. 

Whether you're using a drip system or a sprinkler, the best time to irrigate is very early in the morning, before the weather gets too hot. Early morning watering gives your garden plenty of hydration to survive the day, and it also means any damp leaves will dry off fairly quickly, preventing fungal problems. 

Don't forget to water containers and hanging baskets. Depending on the heat levels, if your containers are in full sun, they'll most likely need to be watered every day, especially hanging baskets. 

KEEP WEEDING

Of course, there's always weeding to be done. With the heat, lots of weeds will bolt and go to seed fast. So stay on top of chopping them down. The bonus of the heat is that you can slice them off with a hoe in the morning and then leave them to lay on the soil and bake for the day. They'll be good and dead in the evening, and then you can add them to your compost bin. 

THINK ABOUT SUCCESSION PLANTING

July is time to start thinking about what you might want to grow a second crop of this year. There are a few cool-season veggies that you can plant from seed in late July and August and get another harvest in the fall. You can check out our guide to growing late-season veg for more info. 

If you do start sowing some second harvest crops now, keep an eye on the weather. Cool-season veggies will taste better if you can give them some shade on the hottest days of July and August. A beach umbrella works great!

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TIDY UP YOUR FLOWERS

Let’s also encourage a second harvest of fragrance and flowers! Deadheading your flowers, especially perennials like catmint, coneflowers, shasta daisies and coreopsis, may encourage a second flush of blooms this year. It also helps plants focus on storing energy in their roots for next year instead of producing seed heads. 

Spring annuals, like pansies, maybe starting to look a bit sad. You can either pull them out and replace them with heat-loving annuals, like lantana or zinnia, or simply trim them back. You can cut them back quite hard to just a few sets of leaves, and they may bloom again in the fall. 

Early July is also an excellent time to give your petunias and million bells a haircut. Yes, it's hard to take off so many blooms, but the reward will be worth it. In just a few weeks, they'll be much bushier and loaded with even more fresh blooms instead of being leggy and droopy.


Whatever you're up to, whether it's gardening or heading off on summer adventures, remember to enjoy the moments. Soak up the time spent relaxing, and file away all those memories you're making. Stop by and visit our Indianapolis garden center—we have lots in store for you and your garden!

Mattew DammannDammann's Garden CompanyDammann's Garden Company, Indianapolis, gardening tips, gardening, garden center, maintenance, garden maintenance, vegetable gardening, veggies, vegetables, DIY vegetable gardening, organic vegetables, growing vegetables, vegetable garden