July, garden work
July 1, 2021 2 Comments
July, the seventh month of the year, and we are now in the heart of summer! High temperatures, heat and hot winds that make it difficult for plants to grow and flower. Of course, these conditions contribute to the ripening and harvesting of many favorite fruits and vegetables.
July is a good time to make the last plantings for late summer vegetables and at the same time prepare for sowing autumn vegetables. The heat of summer requires daily care and the installation of automatic watering is a practical solution for regular watering of plants.
This month, protect our garden from insects and from the strong sun, while special care needs to be shown to our ornamental plants. So let’s see in detail what tasks await us in our garden in July in order to plan them properly and enjoy healthy and alive plants.
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1. We plant summer vegetables and prepare seeds for autumn
The gradual planting and cultivation of vegetables gives us a harvest throughout the year, so that we never run out of fresh vegetables and raw materials for our kitchen. By July, we can plant late summer vegetables such as tomato, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, squash and beans for early fall fruit production.
At this time we must be careful and plant our vegetables at dusk so that our new plants are not stressed by the intense heat and the hot midday sun. In southern regions of the country, where the winter is mild, without severe frost and low temperatures, the production of late plantings of late summer vegetables can last well into the winter months.
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Also, in July, we start creating a nursery for autumn vegetables with our favorite varieties. We supply suitable potting soil for sowing vegetables and prepare seed beds for autumn vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. We prefer seeds from local efficient varieties with quality characteristics that are well adapted to the soil and climate conditions of our region. The vegetables in our nursery will be ready in early autumn to be transplanted into our garden or into pots on the balcony.
2. We enjoy fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits
July is the month that gives us special joy in the garden, as we harvest a wide variety of vegetables to make our favorite summer salads and fruit salads! Where do we start? First we take the onions out of the ground and dry them to store them for the next months.
Continuing with the potatoes we harvest them and dust them with Thuringia bacillus during storage to keep them free from caterpillars. Also, throughout the summer we enjoy a significant production of cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants, corn, corn and beans.
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In July, we will also enjoy a wide variety of favorite fruits. From our vegetable garden, we will also taste wonderful delicious strawberries, aromatic melons and refreshing watermelons. From the vineyard, we harvest early table grape varieties, such as the wonderful white-fruited Sultanina and the black grape variety Attiki, which have a distinct flavor.
At this time the fruit trees in the garden give us wonderful summer fruits such as apricots, peaches, nectarines, pears, cherries and early figs enjoying a feast of flavors and aromas!
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3. We protect vegetables from insects and diseases
July and high temperatures bring a surge in insect infestations and we need to be on the lookout to control our plants. Initially for the treatment of the tetranychous, which attacks most of the vegetables in our garden and is favored by the hot and dry weather during the summer season. A characteristic sign of tetranych infestation is the silky cobwebs that form on the affected parts of flowers and leaves.
We also look on the leaves of the cucumber, squash, melon and watermelon for sticking, as this is a symptom of the presence of the mealybug and mealy bug that weakens the plants. If we see whiteness on the leaves, like flour, it is certain that they have been affected by the powdery mildew disease.
The small holes in the tomato fruits are an indication of an attack by this, the insect that causes significant damage to the tomato crop. And finally, another problem in the vegetable garden and in tomatoes during the summer is the stink bug, which causes yellow spots on the outside of the fruit and corky areas inside it, resulting in the fruit not ripening well and not being eaten.
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To protect our plants from insects and diseases, we supply various ecological preparations that are approved to be used in organic cultivation such as sulphur, thiochalcine, Thuringia bacillus, natural pyrethrin and potassium salts.
Alternatively, in cases of mild infestation and on a preventive level, we can use homemade materials to make improvised ecological preparations with green soap, baking soda and cayenne pepper.
Ecological ways to protect plants with natural materials
4. We take care and treat the ornamental plants
One of the most critical periods for the flowers of ornamental plants in our garden is the month of July and therefore special attention is required. Due to high temperatures and scorching conditions many flowers of favorite plants, annuals such as petunia, serphinia, pansy, marigold, dogwood and zinnia, or perennials such as rose, carnation, hydrangea, gardenia, hibiscus and camellia begin to wither and gradually dry up.
During this period, we make sure to remove the dried leaves and dried flowers from the ornamental plants with special care. In this way, we manage to significantly strengthen the vegetation of the plants and cause new rich and prolonged flowering.
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After removing the dried leaves and flowers of the ornamental plants, it is important to spray them with a solution of summer pulp to protect against insects and especially the cottony, mealybug and mealybug.
To enjoy again many beautiful flowers in late summer, but also a late flowering in autumn, we add a complete water-soluble fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus.
5. Water all the plants in the garden and in pots properly
Due to the dry-thermal conditions that prevail this season, our plants need very frequent and abundant watering, in order to cope with the high temperatures. We prefer to water our vegetables at regular intervals to avoid various problems that can occur, such as leaf and flower drop, as well as fruit cracking such as browning on the bottom of the fruit in tomatoes and peppers.
We prefer to water our plants early in the morning or at dusk and avoid watering and wetting the leaves during the midday hours. We must also pay attention to the excessive watering of the vegetables which can contribute to the development of fungal diseases, rotting in the roots of the plants, reduced growth and production.
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Before we leave for summer vacation, we take care of watering our garden. If there is no good neighbor, friend or relative to water our plants while we are away, it is more than necessary to install automatic watering with a scheduler and drip irrigation system in our garden and balcony pots to be able to ensure proper watering the days we will be away.
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6. Protect the plants from intense sun and heat
The sun is very intense and hot in the month of July, especially at noon. This results in extensive burns and desiccation of the foliage of vegetables, fruit trees and ornamental plants. A basic option for the protection of vegetables, as well as ornamental plants, is the placement of a special sun protection net over the plants.
In this way we create a net garden, which significantly protects the vegetation and fruiting of our plants from the strong rays of the sun. Alternatively, spraying the foliage with zeolite, kaolin or algae extract helps protect plants in heat, intense midday sun and high temperatures.
Protection of plants from heat and heat
Also, we should note that July is a dangerous month for causing fire and it is necessary to do some work to protect our garden from fire. In particular, it is important to take a series of preventive measures by timely cleaning the dry grasses of the garden. In addition, we prune dry branches from the trees and remove them immediately so that they do not become flammable raw material in the event of a fire.
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If there are any gardening tasks that you didn’t manage to do last month, you can consult the June garden tasks article .
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