Emma Miller
Every gardener knows that summer is the active season when there is enough work in the garden and in the beds.
What you can do in July – a list of important points
In order not to forget about the necessary work with the land and crops in the middle of summer, check the list of the most important tasks.
Feeding shrubs
Raspberries, currants, gooseberries – all of these berry crops need timely fertilization. They begin to ripen in July and August, but for a rich harvest and juicy fruits, it is important to fertilize plants in time.
It is also important and correct watering of trees and shrubs according to the norms:
- young bush – 1-2 buckets of water (10-20 liters);
- an adult bush – 3-4 buckets of water;
- a non-bearing seedling – 3-5 buckets (30-50 liters);
- 3-5-year-old trees – 5-8 buckets (50-80 liters);
- 7-10-year-old tree – 12-15 buckets (120-150 l).
Timely watering will provide the plants with the necessary level of moisture and protect them from the exhausting heat, which in July tends to be especially dangerous.
Bird protection and pruning
Fruit trees are often a target for birds who want to eat juicy berries and fruit. This can end up destroying the crop and making the trees sick.
Don’t forget to trim back any extra branches on trees – they have definitely had time to grow since the last time you trimmed them. Get rid of all rootstock and any upright shoots in the top tier. It is also best to remove strong shoots and tidy up the skeletal parts.
Care of strawberries
One of the main summer berries finishes fruiting in July, so you need to properly care for strawberries after the harvest. The soil around the plants should be loosened, and the bushes themselves should be pruned, not forgetting to cut the “tendrils” (unless, of course, you intend to use them for propagation).
Harvesting
In July you can already harvest the first crops – potatoes and early-ripening cabbage. These vegetables, as a rule, are not intended for long-term storage, so it is better to use them in food immediately.
Sowing green manure
Many plants can be an excellent remedy against pests and fungal diseases, feeding the soil with the substances it needs and transferring them to other crops. You can also sow in beds from which you have recently harvested crops – legumes or grasses are good for this.
Protect your plants from pests.
July – is the most dangerous month for many plants, because it is this period of activation of many pests, because of which your crop can “get sick”.
Abatement of tomatoes
The step grinding procedure is carried out only when the side shoots reach a length of 3-5 cm. It is necessary to do this so that the extra shoots do not interfere with the tomatoes growing further, strengthening, and developing. If you ignore the process of weeding, your crop will be unpalatable and scarce.
Checking greenhouses
Sudden changes in temperature, rain, drought, or other natural phenomena immediately affect the state of the crop in the greenhouse. That’s why it’s important to regularly check the condition of the plants, control humidity levels, and follow the rules of air conditioning.
Condensation is a dangerous phenomenon that can negatively affect your crop. For example, moisture accumulating on the walls of the greenhouse will lead to fungal infections that will “pass on” to the plants. Although you have to be careful with this – cucumbers, on the contrary, are very fond of moisture, so they need to be watered abundantly, unlike other vegetables.
