The month of July in gardening is packed with demanding work and caring behavior to make all living plants flourish in the heat of the sun for summer. Here are 7 essential garden chores that will help maintain a healthy and productive garden.
- Harvesting Crops
July is a time to harvest most crops such as tomatoes, carrots, and peppers. A good hint when harvesting tomatoes is to pick them at the breaker stage: That will keep the taste in and the birds out. Store them upside down to keep them longer. Carrots should be harvested when the diameter at the top is apparent, and the weather turns hot. Peppers should be harvested depending on variety and the preference of whether green or fully ripe.
- Controlling Powdery Mildew
It seems that powdery mildew affects most garden plants due to a wide range of host susceptibility to this fungus. Prevention and early control are the best defense against this problem. Regularly inspect plants, especially the undersides of leaves, for any evidence of the mildew. A good spray is potassium bicarbonate with a garden-safe soap. This combination not only prevents mildew but also kills existing spores. Apply weekly, preferably in the early morning or late evening, to avoid sunscald and ensure thorough coverage.
- Making Watering Easier with Irrigation
Regular watering should be kept during the hot summer months. Adding an irrigation system can save time, allowing the plant to receive the water necessary while no one is at home. Irrigation systems come in highly adjustable forms, like emitters that could be set for appropriate water flow for all the container sizes. This method is particularly useful in container gardening, where plants have different water requirements.
- Basil Pinching
Pinching back basil to create a bushier plant is easy enough. The objective is to take off any flower buds and also pinch the plant right above a node, where the leaves branch off the stem. When you pinch the terminal shoot of a basil, it releases cytokinin, a hormone that stimulates lateral branching and essentially delays senescence while keeping the leaves tender and full of flavor. Note: Different kinds of basils, targeted at different end uses, might call for slightly different methods of pinching.
- Summer-Prune Your Fruit Trees
Summer is a great time for pruning of fruits like citrus and peaches. Through this process, the size and shape of the trees are made better and one is able to easily harvest the fruits from them. The time for doing pruning is anytime other than when the trees are in blossom or fruiting. The desired outcome will be a tree with reasonable size and shape that allows easy pickings of fruits. It has been tagged an art that needs to be properly planned for regularly together with regular maintenance.
- Herbs Harvesting and Drying
Some of the herbs that can be harvested in July include mint, parsley, and chives. Early in the morning is the best time for collecting herbs since that is the period when the oils are at their maximum. Scissors or pruners should be used in cutting and care should be taken to apply some techniques when cutting certain herbs. For example, mint should be cut above a set of leaves in order to promote branching, while parsley and chives should be cut at the base of the stem. After harvesting, herbs could be left to dry by bundling them and hanging them upside down in a dark and dry place, or they can also be dried more quickly using a dehydrator.
- Sanitizing Seedling Trays
Very crucial is the process of disinfecting the seeding trays in order to prevent diseases. One such example is damping-off, which is usually a fungus that can kill young seedlings. Clean the trays with some mild dish soap and then soak them in a bleach solution (one part of bleach to nine parts of water) for 15 minutes. Rinse with plenty of clean water and leave to dry in the sun. This helps in further prevention of damping-off, ensuring a healthy start for the seedlings, and reducing chances of infection spread in order to maintain a farm's productivity.
Accomplishing the above-mentioned vital garden chores in July will ensure a healthy, productive, and well-enjoyed garden. Great summer gardening stems from proper harvesting, disease management, efficient watering, and regular maintenance.
