July Gardening Activities – Region 1
Northwest & Northern California
States in this region include: Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and California (Northern).
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Give your lawn a refreshing drink…repeatedly. It needs long, thorough waterings, especially in high temps. Give it 1-2 inches of water per week, with as much of that in one application as possible, to help keep the grass healthy and green. (But be prepared: It could take several hours to apply that needed amount of water.)
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Enjoy local harvests!
Peaches, berries and other fruits and vegetables are making their summer appearance at local roadside and farmers’ markets. Buy a little extra for freezing or canning – and think of the sweet goodness you’ll enjoy months from now, when you open a mason jar of still-peachy peaches!
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Grow rosemary, basil, sage and tarragon – it’s easy in the summer garden! Then take the time to make your own
dried herbs, oils and infusions so you can enjoy your summer harvest when the snow flies!
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Remember to
share
your excess produce from your veggie garden – perhaps with a food co-op or shelter. (This is a great summertime act of kindness, especially when children are involved!)
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Keep your annuals looking their colorful best: Deadhead any spent flowers (to encourage more blooms); keep up with watering (check beds and containers daily); and liquid-feed (according to label directions) to encourage additional flowers through the season. Want to add even more color to the garden? Continue planting!
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Before going on your
summer vacation, enlist a trustworthy neighbor or gardening friend to care for your lawn and garden while you’re away. To make sure your plants (and friendship) survive, invite your “garden babysitter” over to your yard before you leave, so you can clearly discuss your task expectations.
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Got mulch? If your landscape beds haven’t been mulched yet, it’s time to get it done! A few inches of organic mulch is all that’s needed to keep weeds at bay, conserve needed soil moisture and protect roots from the hot, scorching sun. (A word to the wise: Never mound mulch around the crown or trunk of plants; keep it a few inches away.)
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Think ahead!
Start seeds
of cool-season crops like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts for harvesting later this fall. Seeds can be directly sown in your vegetable garden or started in seed trays for transplanting in the garden later this summer.
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Be “berry” smart: Outwit the birds and cover ripening berries with netting. Guarantee a return of June-bearing strawberries for 2009 by clipping back dead foliage from strawberry plants, watering well and fertilizing with a complete fertilizer (following package directions).
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Keep weeds to an absolute minimum
whenever possible – they’ll continue to make their presence known in and around the garden. Weeds rob needed moisture and nutrients from desirable plants. Use a pre-emergent weed control in clean planting beds, according to label directions. Mulch can also be used on landscape beds to help keep weeds at bay.
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Get out your camera and
garden journal
– it’s time to take inventory of what’s doing well and what’s struggling in your garden! Documenting how your garden grows will help you decide what to plant next season. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so photograph the good (for replication next year), capture the bad (so mistakes aren’t repeated) and avoid the ugly next year.
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