Things To Do In July In Your Garden

Ickworth Park, JulyJuly is a month when many gardens look their best and begin to reward gardeners richly for their efforts earlier in the year. Many flowers will be in bloom and your vegetable and fruit gardens will, with any luck, be providing a good and varied yield. Here are some of the jobs that will be awaiting your attention this month:


GarlicJobs in the Vegetable Garden


  • Harvest your garlic when the tops start to yellow and flop over on over a third of the crop.
  • Continue to harvest crops as they ripen.
  • Nip off the growing tips of courgettes and squash to encourage plants to bush out.
  • Continue to fertilise and pinch off side shoots on tomato plants.
  • Train cucumber vines to grow vertically.


Plums later in AugustJobs in the Fruit Garden/Orchard


  • Prune plum, cherry and peach trees. Pruning these trees in summer will reduce risk of disease.
  • Prune the fruited stems of blackcurrant bushes when fruits have been harvested.
  • Prune for shape on espaliered, cordoned and fanned apple and pear trees.
  • Fertilise citrus trees with a specialised organic citrus fertiliser.
  • Harvest gooseberries, summer raspberries and other soft fruits that have ripened.


LupinJobs in the Flower Garden


  • Continue to tie in and train the new growth of climbing plants.
  • Cut back faded perennials and continue to deadhead blooms.
  • Take cuttings of tender plants for overwintering indoors.
  • Prevent weeds from setting seed and spreading throughout your garden.
  • Prune lupins to encourage more blooms to appear.


Jobs Under Cover


  • Make sure to water well in the polytunnel or greenhouse and make sure of adequate ventilation.
  • Damp down your covered growing space on warm days to increase humidity.
  • Check under-cover grown plants regularly for signs of pest or disease and keep on top of any problems.
  • Harden off plug plants that you have grown on and plant them in their final growing positions.
  • Tidy up the debris of fallen flowers and foliage to reduce the risk of fungal disease.


General Garden Jobs


  • Turn compost regularly to keep it aerated throughout the summer.
  • As you harvest and observe the garden at its best, consider lessons to be learned for next year and make notes of what has worked and what has not.
  • Be vigilant for pests and disease throughout the garden and continue to take care of the creatures that help you to combat them.
  • Keep bird baths topped up in hot, dry weather.
  • Continue to fertilise crops and care for soil health with the use of organic fertilisers.