July in the Garden – 2023 Edition

July Garden Tips

Flowers to Plant

• Aster, Flowering Balsam, Begonia, Celosia, Cleome, Coleus, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Dusty Miller, Gomphrena, Hamelia, Impatiens, Jacobinia, Lantana, Marigold, Mexican Heather, Nicotiana, Pentas, Periwinkle, Petunias, Purslane, Saliva, Verbena, Zinnias

Seeds to Sow

• Corn (Late July)
• Greens – warm season
• Okra
• Peas – southern
• Pumpkins
• Squash – winter (Late July)
• Watermelon

Things to Transplant

• Eggplant (Late July)
• Peppers (Late July)
• Tomatoes (Late July)

July Garden To-Dos

Cut back tomatoes

Cut back spring-planted, indeterminate tomatoes leaving about 1/3 of the plant, and feed with a high-phosphorus fertilizer to rejuvenate them for fall season. Sometimes there are still flowers and green tomatoes on the plants, but it is better for the fall harvest to cut them back around mid July. You can use any unripe fruits to make fried green tomatoes! Pull any unhealthy looking plants and replace them, then set up 40% shade cloth to protect your plants from the hot afternoon sun. Once temperatures cool off, the flowers will begin to set fruit. If you’re successful in keeping your plants consistently watered and happy, you’ll enjoy a good fall harvest.

Last chance for jack-o-lanterns

If you want to grow pumpkins for Halloween, get your plants started by early July, just be sure to keep the seedlings moist.

Light mowing in early morning

Mow only enough to remove one-third of the leaf blade each time you mow and follow recommended mowing heights. Only mow your grass in the cooler early morning hours to prevent heat related illness. Leave the clippings on the lawn to replenish organic matter. Monitor for take-all patch. Maintain cycle-and-soak irrigation practices as infrequently as possible.

Try some new summer varieties

You can still plant southern peas, okra, and sweet corn this month if you keep the soil moist while they are establishing deep roots. Try early or fast-maturing varieties of sweet corn such as ‘Ambrosia’ or ‘Sugar Buns.’ Providing shade cloth also helps protect tender plants from afternoon sun. Fashion a temporary covering using shade cloth, old screens, umbrellas, etc. It’s even a good idea to shade the soil for a couple of weeks in anticipation of planting. While most lettuce, chard, and kale greens have turned bitter, tasty summer greens like Malabar spinach, sweet potato leaves and amaranth will still produce in the heat. Prepare for tomato, pepper and eggplant late July or early August transplants by watering and mulching designated planting areas.

Cover the bare soil

Mulch all bare soil to help with water retention. Clean up spring planting beds and add a layer of compost, then mulch.

Drench plants with seaweed

Seaweed contains micronutrients, trace elements, and hormones, which makes great anti-stressor for plants! Mix it into your watering can and drench the rootzones of all landscape plants. Avoid spraying the leaves when temperatures are above 90F.

Feed non-native landscape plants only

Fertilize non-native landscape plants, such as crepe myrtles, one last time before fall, then allow your plants to ‘rest’ until temperatures begin to cool off in the fall. Cease fertilizing perennials since most are in their summer dormancy. Add fertilizer to annuals if needed, but be sure to water deeply. Over-fertilizing in summer is a common plant killer. Excess fertilizer (especially nitrogen) can burn plants in dry weather. This happens because the salts in fertilizer draw moisture out of plants that they are not able to replenish from soil moisture or retain due to evaporation on hot days. Lack of moisture results in scorched leaves resembling fire damage, or “burn”.

Look out for heat exhaustion

Hundreds of Americans die every year from heat-related illness. Remember to work during the cooler hours of morning and evening, use sun protection, and stay hydrated. Familiarizing yourself with the symptoms of heat exhaustion can help save a life! The symptoms of heat exhaustion include: thirst, headache, profuse sweating, muscle cramps, rapid heartbeat, nausea, irritability, dizziness, light-headedness, or loss of coordination. If you have any of these symptoms, immediately stop working and get to a cool place. Relax, loosen clothing, apply cold compresses to exposed skin, and slowly sip cool (not cold) water. Drink about a cup every 15 minutes. Water is usually sufficient, but if you have cramps, a sports drink with electrolytes may help. Heat exhaustion can quickly turn to heat stroke, which is life threatening. Get immediate medical attention if symptoms progress to: confusion, irrational behavior, reduced/no sweating, vomiting, convulsions, or collapse. Stay safe!

Pests don’t take the summer off

Spider mites continue to thrive in dry, hot conditions and the warmer days will make aphids prevalent on stressed plants. Remove both with blasts of water to the underside of leaves. Do this check in the early morning or evening hours.

Learn to water properly

Check soil moisture before the next scheduled irrigation. Browning foliage anywhere in the garden may indicate lack of water. Irrigate deeply and as infrequently as possible to encourage deep root growth. Correct watering is the single most important thing you can do to keep your lawn healthy and to conserve this precious resource. Use a watering guide to establish how much weekly water your particular type of grass needs; then use a lawn care guide to help determine how long to run your sprinkler/irrigation system. Remember to divide your lawn’s weekly water needs between two waterings, and to always water in the early morning, ideally an hour or two before sunrise. Consider investing in soaker hoses and/or drip irrigation, which put water right where it’s needed: in the soil, next to your plant’s roots. This saves water and money, is better for your plants, and it may even prevent the occurrence and spread of certain diseases. Watch container plants for wilting – it may be a sign that you are over-watering.

Pruning and pinching

Flowering plants will bloom less starting this month due to the heat, do not apply fertilizer as it won’t help. Some plants, including tomatoes, will stop producing fruit or flowers when the nighttime temperatures are consistently above 76°F. Prune vigorous shoots from fruit bearing trees and shrubs. Safely remove shoots from live oaks, but be sure to paint the wound. Prune back new blackberry canes to encourage side shoots. Pinch back by one-third fall blooming asters to promote branching and more blooms in the fall. Stop pruning woody, spring-flowering vines like Carolina jessamine so that they have plenty of time to set blooms over the summer.

Learn to solarize

The process of solarization takes at least a month, but it is a highly effective, completely non-toxic way to get rid of patches of grass, stubborn weeds, and even soil pathogens. Heat is necessary to cook the pathogens and weed seeds hiding in the soil, so July and August are the best times of year to solarize. If you’re getting rid of common weeds and grasses, water the area thoroughly. If you are dealing with Bermuda or nut grass spray the area with horticultural vinegar prior to solarization. After soaking with water or vinegar, cover the area with clear, heavy duty plastic (at least 4mm thick). Securely seal the edges with soil or rocks. The sun’s energy will be trapped under the clear plastic, baking the top layer of soil along with existing weeds and seeds. Leave this in place for at least two week, then remove the plastic, till the area to bring surviving roots up to the surface, then water and cover again. Wait two more weeks, remove the plastic and start watering again. Use vinegar to spray any stragglers. Repeat this process until you see a distinct lack of lawn or weeds.

Garden Tips courtesy of The Natural Gardener and Texas AgriLife Extension.