Laidback Gardening: What to Do in July?

Okay, I know: the warm weather is so short in Canada that we should take advantage of it to garden all the time, right?

Well, I disagree! I protest, even!

Yes, I love gardening, but in my opinion, July and August (and maybe a little bit of September, I’ll give you that) are the real summer months. It’s the time of year when you can do all kinds of things that are impossible the rest of the year: swim in lakes or rivers, go kayaking, canoeing or paddleboarding, attend outdoor concerts, discover the villages of our beautiful and vast country—and their gardens too! – picking berries, enjoying ice cream, strolling through a public market, reading in a hammock, stargazing, hosting a BBQ with friends, lighting a campfire (where permitted), or simply admiring a sunset with your significant other.

And the list goes on!

So With All That Going on… Do I Really Have Time to Garden?

Well, yes, but not much!

Once my last seedlings are planted and my indoor plants are acclimated and settled in the garden, there really isn’t much left to do… except pull a weed here and there, check that the soil isn’t too dry, inspect my vegetable garden occasionally for pests or diseases, and harvest my first crops. But I do all that slowly, getting up in the morning, shirtless and barefoot, coffee in hand.

I have to say that I prepared well in advance: I installed a drip irrigation system for my pots, installed a soaker hose around the new shrubs and perennials, and did a good weeding in June, which weakened unwanted plants.
I also try to avoid problem plants, especially those that are more susceptible to insects and disease. And of course, everything has been carefully mulched (I avoid cleaning up dead leaves and stems as well), which helps keep the soil evenly moist and protects it from the elements.

In short, I’m ready for summer!

Here are a few things you can do in the garden in July, if you feel like it.

Have a great summer and happy gardening!

Vegetable Garden

1. Successive sowing: Sow successive crops of fast-growing vegetables and herbs (radishes, lettuce, spinach, coriander, etc.) in the spaces left empty after harvesting..
2. Invasive herbs: Herbs such as dill, anise, borage, chervil, coriander, and lemon balm can become invasive. Remove wilted flowers to prevent them from reseeding everywhere, or don’t and you’ll have a nice surprise next year!
3. Harvesting herbs: Harvest and store herb leaves when flower buds appear. This is when they are most flavorful.
4. Monitor watering of tomatoes: Never let your tomatoes run out of water, otherwise they may crack. Keep the soil evenly moist.
5. Pollination of Cucurbits: For cucurbits, if insects are not doing the job, use a cotton swab or brush to transfer pollen from a male flower to a female flower. A simple solution for better pollination.
6. Harvesting leafy vegetables: Harvest only the outer leaves of leafy vegetables. This will extend the harvest period.
7. Mulch in the vegetable garden: Use mulch around vegetables to control weeds and maintain stable moisture levels.
8. Install an insect net to prevent infestations: Protect your crops from the start by installing an insect net over your most vulnerable vegetables (cabbage, carrots, squash, etc.). This simple step prevents many insects from laying their eggs directly on the plants, reducing damage without having to intervene later.
9. Consider sowing green manure: If a bed is freed up early, rather than leaving the space empty, you can sow buckwheat, clover, or oats to regenerate the soil before fall.

Ornamental Plants

1. Deadheading: Removing dead flowers from annuals and perennials is not necessary, but you can do so to increase blooming. Keep in mind that many of them will produce seeds that will feed birds.
2. Prune your shrubs after flowering: If a spring-flowering shrub (lilac, mock orange, etc.) needs pruning, the best time to do so is within two weeks after flowering. This is not mandatory, just a good time to do it if necessary.
3. Staking perennials: Stake tall perennials to keep them upright and elegant, or replace them with plants that don’t require maintenance.
4. Remove unwanted suckers from the base of trees and shrubs: Remove suckers that appear at the base of shrubs and trees (lilacs, black locust, sumac, etc.) if you don’t want them to spread. You can also remove suckering plants and replace them with low-maintenance shrubs.

Lawn

1. Lawn in hot weather: Avoid walking on and mowing the lawn during hot weather. Cut it higher (8 or even 10 cm) to protect the roots. Don’t worry if it turns yellow; it is only dormant. There is no need to water it unless there is a drought lasting several weeks.
2. Leave the clippings where they are: When you mow, leave the grass clippings on the lawn. They will decompose quickly and return nutrients to the soil. Less work, more fertility!
3. No fertilization in midsummer: July is too hot to fertilize your lawn. Wait until late August or early September to give it a boost in the fall. Fertilizing now may burn the grass or cause it to grow unnecessarily during hot weather.
4. Tolerate weeds: Clover, plantain, dandelions, and other “weeds” are useful for pollinators and often withstand drought better than grass. A little diversity makes your lawn more vibrant and resilient!
5. Let birds do their thing: The birds that visit your lawn are your friends. They are looking for insects that harm your grass, including Japanese beetle larvae.
6. Consider converting your lawn into a garden: If certain areas of your lawn suffer every summer (too much shade, poor soil), consider creating a flower bed or a flower meadow. Less lawn = less maintenance!

Watering

1. Municipal restrictions: Follow your municipality’s watering restrictions.
2. Keep an eye on watering, especially during hot weather: In the vegetable garden, check the soil and water thoroughly when it starts to dry out. The hotter it is, the more frequently you need to water. Soil in planters dries out even faster, requiring extra monitoring. That’s why I love my drip irrigation system.
3. Water new plants regularly: For new perennials, shrubs, or trees, it is important to water regularly during the first year, sometimes more for large trees. Why not install an automatic watering system with a soaker hose?
4. No need to water established plants: unless there is a prolonged drought, it is not necessary to water your permanent plants such as perennials, shrubs, and trees, especially if you have chosen plants that are suited to your conditions.
5. Avoid wetting the foliage to prevent disease: To prevent leaf diseases, try to water your plants without wetting their foliage. Leaky hoses water at ground level!
6. Water slow and deep: When you water, make sure the whole root zone is moist. Slow watering once a week is way better than quick, shallow watering every day. If your soil is sandy, water more often but for shorter periods to maintain moisture in the top 20 centimeters of soil.
7. Water early in the morning to save water: If municipal water restrictions allow, water early in the morning: this method is more efficient and uses less water than watering in the late afternoon.
8. Mulch to reduce watering needs: A layer of organic mulch (shredded leaves, straw, grass clippings, ramial chipped wood), even in pots, reduces evaporation, keeps the soil cool, and reduces the amount of watering needed.
9. Don’t panic if you see wilted foliage: some plants wilt temporarily in the heat (especially in the afternoon), but recover on their own in the evening. There’s no need to water every time it gets hot: touch the soil before taking action.
10. Consider collecting rainwater: install a barrel under a gutter. Rainwater is free, soft, and at room temperature.

Pots and Containers

1. Fertilization: Remember that plants in planters require more fertilizer than those in the ground. I prefer slow-release fertilizers to water-soluble ones. One or two applications in the summer are sufficient.
2. Watering before vacation: Place your planters in the shade and water them thoroughly before leaving on vacation. The rain will take over.
3. Be careful where you place them: on a south-facing balcony, pots can literally bake. Don’t hesitate to temporarily move your containers to partial shade or create some temporary shade for them during heat waves.
4. Do not allow water to stand in saucers: standing water attracts mosquitoes and can cause the roots to rot. Empty saucers after rainfall or simply avoid using them.
5. Group pots together to create a microclimate: grouping several containers together helps retain moisture and reduces temperature variations. Bonus: a more lush visual effect!

Compost

1. Add green and brown materials alternately: For balanced compost, remember to alternate nitrogen-rich materials (peelings, fresh grass, weeds without seeds) with carbon-rich materials (dead leaves, newspaper, shredded cardboard). This promotes rapid, odorless decomposition.
2. Keep your compost moist, but not soggy: With the heat of June, compost can dry out quickly. Water it lightly if the material becomes too dry—it should have the texture of a wrung-out sponge to break down properly.
3. Stir your compost: Turn the compost every two weeks to speed up production.
4. No seeds or perennial roots: in summer, avoid adding weeds that have gone to seed or roots of invasive plants (dandelions, quackgrass, etc.), unless you have very hot compost (which is rare in domestic containers).
5. Avoid unpleasant odors: an ammonia or rotten egg smell indicates too much green material (nitrogen) or a lack of oxygen. Add dry leaves and stir!

Parasites

1. Cucumber beetle: If you see beetles on your cucumbers or squash, knock them into a bowl of soapy water. You can also pick them up with a handheld vacuum cleaner or spray them with insecticidal soap.
2. Spray baking soda to prevent leaf blight: To prevent leaf diseases, spray the leaves of vegetables prone to blight (squash, cucumbers, beans, eggplants, peas, turnips, etc.) with a solution made from 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of insecticidal soap.
3. Protecting small fruits: Install a protective net over small fruits to protect them from birds and chipmunks.
4. Aphids and red spider mites: Spray them with a strong stream of water.
5. Red traps against apple flies: To reduce apple fly attacks, attach a red ball-shaped sticky trap to the tree as soon as the first green fruits appear.
6. Protect your plants from slugs using tried-and-tested methods: Use bait that is safe for wildlife, or surround susceptible plants with dry barriers such as diatomaceous earth. Avoid eggshells and beer, as these are not very effective. Be careful: slugs can hide under your plant pots. Check regularly.
7. Be careful with Japanese beetle traps: they attract more beetles than they catch and may worsen the infestation. If you use them, place them far away from the garden you want to protect.

Weeds

1. Weed as soon as possible and apply mulch: Weeds grow quickly in summer: weed whenever you see them and apply mulch to discourage them from returning.
2. Cut weeds close to the ground to exhaust them: If you regularly cut weeds at ground level, they will become exhausted and eventually disappear. This causes less damage to the soil than hoeing.
3. Use cleaning vinegar to weed between paving stones: One or two sprays with a cleaning vinegar solution (more concentrated than white vinegar) can remove weeds growing between paving stones.

Wildlife

1. Hummingbird feeder nectar: Change the nectar in hummingbird feeders every week, or every three days when it is very hot. This prevents contamination.
2. Provide shelter from the heat and drought: a simple saucer filled with water and a few stones can serve as a watering hole for pollinators (bees, butterflies) on hot days. Change the water often to prevent mosquito larvae from breeding.
3. Clean your bird bath regularly: Rinse the bird bath every week (or every day during hot weather) with a strong jet of water. Once a month, clean it thoroughly with a vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to 9 parts water) and a brush. Avoid soap: it can damage birds’ feathers.
4. Welcome toads, your allies in the garden: Toads eat slugs, cutworms, Japanese beetles, and other pests. To attract them, provide them with a cool, shaded shelter (an upside-down terracotta pot or a pile of stones), avoid pesticides, keep a corner of your garden wild, and set up a quiet water source for them to breed.
5. Protect birds from cats: To protect birds in your garden, attach a bell or colorful collar to your cat’s collar. Place feeders more than 2.5 meters (8 feet) off the ground, limit access to the ground beneath feeders, and consider an outdoor enclosure (catio). Every little bit helps save birds!
6. Leave a wild corner: a pile of dead leaves, a few hollow stems, an old fallen tree trunk, or a slightly overgrown bush—all of these may seem neglected, but for local wildlife, they are a real refuge! Frogs, toads, solitary pollinators, and insect-eating birds find food and shelter there.

And what do you do in your garden in July? Let us know so we can continue to improve the laidback gardener’s calendar!