July Gardening Tips/To Do's... In the Vegetable Garden

July In the Vegetable Garden

Why is it time to pick your courgettes? ... Because if you don't they will become Zuchinni's... ha ha ha!

• Sometimes,  when I arrive at my plot I water, I weed, I harvest then… I fuss with something that was not on ANY to do list. I treasure that time, the absolute sense of peaceful purpose.  Yet, like every gardener, I am forever learning. I like reminders and refreshers so I thought I would look up what other gardeners thought should be done in July.  I also explored what else we can be planting or planning.  

  
  

  Squash: Nip off the growing tips of squash and courgette plants to encourage branching.

  Cucumbers: train stems upwards instead of trailing over the ground, to make the most of the space available. 

  Aubergines: pinch out the growing tip once they have 5 or 6 fruits. You can expect to start harvesting young plants mid- to late summer.

  Broad Beans: Tackle blackfly by pinching off any affected growing tips.

  Cabbage:  check for white butterfly eggs under brassica leaves and squash any that you find.

  Tomatoes:  Pinch outside shoots each week. Cut off any leaves growing below the lowest ripening fruit trusses to improve air circulation and prevent diseases.

  Garlic: Harvest when the tops start to bend over and yellow.

  Rhubarb: Resist the temptation to harvest more stems. Leave them, this will allow the plant to build up reserves for next year.

  Runner Beans:  to prevent them becoming stringy and to make room for developing pods pick them regularly. Leaving mature pods on the plant can prevent further flowers forming and reduce your crop.

  Potatoes: Use grass clippings as a mulch around potato plants to stop tubers near the surface from turning green. Alternatively earth up your potato plants as they grow. If you're growing potatoes in bags, gradually add more compost until the bag is full.

  Harvest:  beetroot, peas, carrots, chard, potatoes, salad leaves, lettuce, Herbs and tomatoes this month.

  Herbs: Pick, dry and or freeze.
  
  

  Basic Tips:

  ·       Water your fruit and vegetable crops well in warm weather. Try to ensure that they’re consistently moist.

  ·       Feed crops with a general purpose ORGANIC fertilizer.

  ·       Clear away any diseased and spent foliage on and around your vegetable plants to keep them healthy and the slugs away.

  ·       Weed regularly, as they compete with your crops for nutrients and water.

  
  

  According to West Coast Seeds….What Can I direct Sow in July?

   

  Arugula (harvest mid-August to late September)

  Beans, Bush & Pole (harvest September)

  Beets (harvest late September to December)

  Broccoli (start indoors, transplant in August for fall harvest)

  Sprouting Broccoli (start indoors, tranpslant in August for winter & spring harvests)

  Brussels Sprouts (direct sow for fall & winter harvests)

  Cabbage (start indoors, transplant in August for winter harvest)

  Carrots (direct sow until around July 10th for fall & winter harvests)

  Cauliflower (start Galleon indoors, transplant in August for spring harvest)

  Cilantro (direct sow for baby greens and fall harvest)

  Cosmos (direct sow for fall blooms)

  Cress (direct sow curly cress for harvest in only 10 to 20 days!)

  Endive & Radicchio (direct sow for fall harvest, start indoors and transplant in August for winter harvest)

  Florence Fennel (direct sow for fall harvest)

  Kale & Collards (direct sow for fall & winter harvests)

  Kohlrabi (direct sow after the 15th for fall harvest)

  Lettuce (direct sow for baby salad greens – harvest in 35 days)

  Mesclun Mixes (direct sow continuously for harvest as baby greens in only 20-30 days)

  Mustard Greens (sow for baby greens at 30 days, or for fall harvest)

  Nasturtiums (direct sow for edible flowers in September)

  Onions, Overwintering (start Walla Walla onion seeds indoors for transplanting in August)

  Onions, Scallions (plant continuously from now to September for fall & winter harvests)

  Pansies (direct sow for edible winter blooms)

  Parsley (direct sow for fall & winter harvests)

  Peas (direct sow enation resistant varieties for fall harvest – they freeze so well!)

  Rutabaga (direct sow before July 15th for winter harvest)

  Spinach (direct sow and harvest as baby greens in 35 days)

  Swiss Chard (direct sow for fall & winter harvests)

  Turnips (direct sow for fall & winter harvests)

   

  https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/seeds-start-july

  
  

  
  

  Happy Gardening!