July 2018 gardening advice

It’s not too late to plant cold weather fall crops like cauliflower!

by Jennifer Fairfield

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage “If you don’t like the weather in Michigan, wait 5 minutes – it will change.” Whoever said that originally must have been talking about something like the month we just had. We ended May in the 90’s, starting June in the 80’s, and then we were back in the 60’s on June 5th! By Father’s Day, we were back up into the 90’s, and then were back down to the low 70’s just three days later. And just to keep us on our toes, we ended the month in the mid-90’s. What a roller coaster! Of course, I shouldn’t complain. It looks like July is going to be consistent – consistently hot, that is, if the forecasts can be believed.

With the high temperatures and little predicted rain over the next little bit, our biggest task for July may be keeping up with watering. That’s not too unusual for us in July, though. Here are some other tasks to make sure to get done this month:

In the vegetable garden: 

• If you ran out of time and didn’t get around to planting some things in your garden, don’t despair. There are lots of things you can plant now that will be ready to harvest before the cold weather sets in (I know, it’s hard to think about cold weather right now, but it will be here sooner than we realize!). You can direct seed Brussels sprouts in the garden now (they’re awesome roasted with garlic), as well as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. If you get bush beans planted now, you can be enjoying them all through September. Plant kale and beets at the end of this month, spinach and head lettuces in early August, and radishes and leaf lettuces in mid-August.
• You can make room in your garden for all of the above when you harvest your garlic and onions later this month (if you don’t have room to plant cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower in your garden now, start them inside and transplant them when the garlic and onions come out). Garlic is ready to harvest when about one-third of the leaves have turned yellow and withered. Harvest them when the soil is dry, using a trowel or fork to loosen the soil around them and carefully working the bulb out of the soil. Leave the leaves and roots intact, and place the plants in a warm, airy place out of direct sun, to dry out for about a week. After that, cut the roots off to about ½ inch, and carefully brush off remaining soil. After about another week, cut off the stems and leaves. At this point, garlic should be stored in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to use it.
• You know onions are ready to harvest when the leaves have fallen over. Harvest them in the same way you do garlic – carefully loosen the soil around them to pull the bulbs out. Let them dry in a warm, dry, airy place, out of the sun, for about two to three weeks before cutting off the tops and roots. Store them in a cool, dry place.
• July should be harvest time for many other crops as well. Spring crops, such as lettuce, spinach, and peas will mostly finish producing this month, while summer crops, such as zucchini, cucumbers, and early tomatoes will just be getting started by the end of the month.
• Side dress your summer crops this month. Side dressing provides fertilizer to your plants when they most need it – as they are beginning to flower and fruit. Harvest to Table offers more details about when and how much to side dress.
• Lots of pests are going to be trying to get to your plants before you can, but don’t let them! Grasshoppers and slugs are currently giving me a hard time in my veggie garden. The key to making sure you get to enjoy the bounty of all your hard work is to get the pests before they get too numerous or do too much damage. Mother Earth News has lots of great organic suggestions for dealing with all kinds of creatures with designs on your garden.
• Keeping your vegetable beds weed-free can be a lot of work, but it’s necessary. Since weeds compete for water and nutrition with the plants you want, don’t let them get out of control. Try to get them while they’re small, mostly because they are easier to pull out before their roots are too established.
• With the heat we are getting, and tend to get throughout July, it’s really important to keep your garden well-watered. In general, your plants need about an inch of water every week, either from you or Mother Nature. When the temps are really high, and especially when accompanied by wind, a little more water is even better. Don’t overdo it, but definitely make sure that your soil doesn’t totally dry out between watering, to be sure that your plants aren’t stressed. My veggie garden is in raised beds that drain very well, so tend to dry out easily. Because of this, I have soaker hoses running throughout that I have hooked up to a timer that runs every-other day. It takes the hassle out of keeping up with the watering – at least in that garden.
• Keep up with the program of fungicide spraying that you started when you put your plants in the
  

  tomato disease

  garden – you did remember to do that, right? If not, start now – it’s not too late! There are a lot of diseases that really get going as summer progresses, especially on tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash, which can kill your plants before you get to enjoy any of the fruits of your labor. You can help to stave off disease by spraying with organic fungicide on a regular basis. If you’re seeing symptoms on your plants, and aren’t sure what you’re dealing with, Planet Natural has pictures, descriptions, and advice for all kinds of plant diseases.

In the flower garden: 

• I saw the first Japanese beetles in my flower gardens about a week ago, on a few different plants. Aphids have been out in full force on my asters and the cutworms have been making a meal of my creeping Jenny, but that’s about all I’ve seen in the way of pests so far (except for the slugs and grasshoppers eating their way through my veggie garden!). I know those won’t be the last ones though, so I’m trying to stay vigilant and take care of them when I see them so they don’t get out of control. Neem oil (used in the evening, after the bees have gone to bed) and insecticidal soap are my go-to products for handling most of the pests, but the best way to deal with Japanese beetles is to simply pluck them off the plants and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. The soap coats their wings, making it impossible for them to get out of the water, and they eventually drown. The best time of day to do this is in the afternoon, when it has warmed up. Getting as many as you see on a daily basis will help keep them under control. If you wait too long, the few you have will suddenly turn into a mob, as they don’t like to dine alone, and once one has found your garden, it will send out signals to tell all its friends to come and join it.
• Different insects are active at different times of day, and some pesticides work best if sprayed
  

  aphids

  directly on the pest, so be sure to read labels completely and follow instructions carefully. Don’t spray any insecticides when you see bees around, or at least do targeted spraying instead of broadcast spraying, to avoid killing bees. Keep in mind that regardless of whether you use organic or non-organic products, they are poisons, and can be harmful to bees, as well as you, if not used properly.

• Be sure to fertilize roses throughout the month, but stop fertilizing at the end of the month to allow the new growth to harden off before winter. Also remove diseased leaves immediately, and pick up any that have fallen. Aphids and mites can be major rose pests, and can cause serious damage if not kept under control. Careful spraying when these pests are spotted is generally all that is necessary. These tasks, along with regular fungicide spraying will help keep your roses healthy.
• As in your vegetable garden, keep weeds under control in the flower garden, so they don’t compete with your flowers for moisture and nutrients.
• Cut back perennials that have finished blooming.
• To keep your container annual flowers looking great all summer long, be sure to fertilize them. With frequent watering, fertilizer tends to get flushed out of the container, so regular feedings are a must. Also, don’t forget to deadhead. By removing dead flowers, you encourage the growth of new ones throughout the season.

Trees & Shrubs 

• If you planted any trees or shrubs this spring, be sure to regularly water them. If we have an
  

  tree gator

  extended period of dry conditions, consider watering any trees and shrubs you planted in past years to keep them from becoming stressed leading into winter. Tree watering bags can be a life-saver (literally for your trees, and figuratively for you) during extended dry periods. You only have to fill them up once or twice per week, and they slowly water your trees for you. I have depended on them for years, as I keep adding new trees to my yard – I just can’t help myself!

• Do not apply fertilizer to trees or shrubs after the 4^th of July, to avoid a flush of new growth that doesn’t have time to harden before winter.
• Finish up pruning of trees and shrubs this month or early next. Pruning too late in the season can encourage new growth that will not have time to harden off before winter sets in.

Lawn: 

• When mowing this summer, leave your grass between 3 and 4 inches tall, and only cut off the top third of the blades at each mowing. Keeping your grass a little higher provides it with all kinds of benefits, including healthy roots, moisture retention, and weed suppression. The lawn people at Scotts have a lot of additional great tips for proper mowing.
• When mowing and weed trimming, be careful not to get too close to your trees and shrubs. Damage done to them by lawn equipment is one of the most common causes of disease and death. Diseases enter through the wounds, infecting the entire tree, and eventually killing it.

For the Birds: 

• Help the birds beat the heat by keeping your birdbaths clean and filled. Dump remaining water out daily and refill the baths to keep mosquitoes at bay.
• Keep hummingbird feeders cleaned out and filled. Sugar water left out in the heat for a number of days can breed bacteria that is harmful to the beautiful birds visiting your feeders, so be sure to clean them out every few days

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.