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California Gardener: What to Do in July
Active green thumb or not, top priorities for peak fruit and veggie season: watering, feeding, keeping up with growth
I'm lead landscape designer at Grace Design Associates, a custom landscape design-build firm headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA. I’m a self-taught landscape designer and contractor with a degree in biology and minor in geology.
I’ve been hooked on gardening ever since I laid eyes on the teeny tiny Swiss Chard plant that sprang forth from the first improbable-looking seed I ever planted at the age of 10. I learned the practical side of design and construction from my very creative and resourceful (that is to say, broke) DIY parents, followed by a spate of home remodels in my twenties (seven houses in seven years!).
I definitely came to landscaping through a different door and I carry a different set of tools from my university trained colleagues. My designs are conceived as...
I'm lead landscape designer at Grace Design Associates, a custom landscape... More »
Things are heating up throughout Southern California as June Gloom wanes in the coastal areas. With the hotter, longer days of summer here, we’re entering peak fruit and veggie season. Active growth in the garden means lots of deadheading, fertilizing, mulching and watering.
As July stretches into August and beyond, you will most likely develop one of two attitudes:
Alternatively, you can skip the traditional garden plants altogether and have this be the month you rip out high-maintenance, heavy-drinking plants and replace them with succulents, grasses, ornamentals, drought-tolerant natives and food-producing plants.
It doesn’t matter which group you find yourself in or if you’re still on the fence — NOW is the time to assess your relationship with your garden and develop a landscape that will thrive and look great with the amount of time and resources you want to devote to it.
As July stretches into August and beyond, you will most likely develop one of two attitudes:
- You greet the summer months with excitement — getting your hands dirty deadheading, mulching, watering, weeding, staking, tip pinching and harvesting the bounty.
- You are sick and tired of all the energy, water and time it takes to keep those flower pots looking beautiful, your veggie garden producing and your ornamental plants in bounds. If only those hedges would trim themselves and those fruits and veggies would magically appear beautifully displayed in a suitably rustic basket on the kitchen counter ...
Alternatively, you can skip the traditional garden plants altogether and have this be the month you rip out high-maintenance, heavy-drinking plants and replace them with succulents, grasses, ornamentals, drought-tolerant natives and food-producing plants.
It doesn’t matter which group you find yourself in or if you’re still on the fence — NOW is the time to assess your relationship with your garden and develop a landscape that will thrive and look great with the amount of time and resources you want to devote to it.
Water, water, water. Feed, feed, feed ... The mantra for the summer months is “water and feed.” Tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, etc. require lots of water and nutrients as they pump out cluster after cluster of delicious flavor — even more so if you are growing in containers.
Nutrients tend to leach out after a few months, making it important to feed, feed, feed. We are talking about monthly applications of low-dose general purpose organic fertilizers, compost tea or your favorite pick-me-ups, such as bone meal and kelp. Or simply top-dress your beds this month with about an inch of compost to provide a steady source of plant nutrients — and support a healthy suite of soil microbes.
Nutrients tend to leach out after a few months, making it important to feed, feed, feed. We are talking about monthly applications of low-dose general purpose organic fertilizers, compost tea or your favorite pick-me-ups, such as bone meal and kelp. Or simply top-dress your beds this month with about an inch of compost to provide a steady source of plant nutrients — and support a healthy suite of soil microbes.
| Keep herbs producing by removing flowers: Pinch off flowers on herbs to stimulate bushier and more compact growth as well as higher foliage yield for cooking. The more you prune early on, the bigger and bushier your herb plants will become. |
| Jam with friends: With summer fruits coming on hot and heavy this month, jamming season has officially arrived. It’s apricot jam for me this month. My single backyard apricot tree typically yields 60 to 80 pints of jam every June. Consider rounding up your posse and pressing them into labor. You’ll get through the work more quickly and have more fun in the process. Most folks are happy to pitch in with jamming in exchange for a few jars of “product.” Check out more on preserving fresh produce |
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| Share the bounty: I send out apricot jam to friends early in the season and enjoy abundant produce throughout the summer in return. Canned peaches and pears; plum, tomato and strawberry jams; honey; dried fruit; bouquets; and bushels of fresh fare are just a few of the backyard treats that come my way from folks who’ve enjoyed the bounty from my garden. |
| Off with their heads! After June’s burst of color in the garden, deadheading will encourage continued flowering. Fertilizing goes hand in hand with deadheading. Long days and warm soil allow plants to take up nutrients rapidly. They’ll use those nutrients to add foliage, build a healthy root system and produce blooms throughout the summer if you remove spent flowers regularly. Tip pinching varieties that tend to be leggy encourages fuller, bushier growth — easy to accomplish the same time you’re cruising the beds deadheading. |
Water and feed some more: In July’s heat, it’s important to give roses and other heavy summer bloomers two to three deep soaks a week, depending on weather.
Mulching these beauties with a layer of well-composted organic material will keep roots cool as well as keep in moisture. (Be sure to keep compost well away from the crown of the plant to avoid conditions that invite disease.)
Use a strong spray of water in the early mornings to clean leaves and control sucking insects. Feed regularly with compost tea or organic fertilizer.
Mulching these beauties with a layer of well-composted organic material will keep roots cool as well as keep in moisture. (Be sure to keep compost well away from the crown of the plant to avoid conditions that invite disease.)
Use a strong spray of water in the early mornings to clean leaves and control sucking insects. Feed regularly with compost tea or organic fertilizer.
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| Water: Timing is everything. Cooler temperatures make early mornings and late afternoons the ideal times to work in the garden in July. Water plants early in the day when evaporation rates are low yet there’s plenty of time for foliage and mulch to dry out, reducing fungal-growth conditions. |
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| Water: Efficiency equals money in your pocket. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation are ideal. The slow rate and direct-to-soil application translates into reduced evaporation, overspray and runoff, which, in turn, translate into reduced water use and weed growth. If you’ve already got an irrigation system, now’s a good time to give it a tuneup. Station by station, turn on the water and observe what’s happening. Adjust, repair and replace components as needed to make sure you’re getting the most out of your system. Why not switch to a smart irrigation timer now? You’ll get plenty of savings at this peak water-use time of the year — and maybe a rebate from your local water provider. |
Stake and train: July brings fast growth in the veggie garden. Stake plants regularly to optimize the plant’s exposure to sunlight, enhance air circulation, keep fruits and vegetables out of the soil (where pests and plagues are lying in wait), and to make harvesting easier.
| Plant colorful, drought-tolerant plants: If you’re sick of high summer water bills, making the switch to drought-tolerant plantings is the way to go. Fear not — drought tolerant doesn’t mean you have to lose color in the landscape. |
| Succulents: beauty without stress. Succulent containers can be a stunning and water-wise replacement for those perennial and annual containers that require a lot of upkeep. Read more on growing succulents |
by Sandy Koepke
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Want summers off in the garden? Go xeric. Unlike high maintenance and high water use gardens, July in a xeric (low-water) landscape is mellow — with little to no work or water required. Stone, topography and highly architectural succulents in a range of forms, textures and foliage color make for a rich, drought-tolerant composition, reducing garden duties this month to finding a shady spot to hang the hammock.
More:
Ideas for your California garden
Browse flowers, plants and garden designs
More:
Ideas for your California garden
Browse flowers, plants and garden designs
Ideabook updated on June 30, 2012.
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