What to plant in July?

Seedlings for your vegetable patch

When it comes to leafy vegetables, you can sow spinach, leeks, winter cabbages, headed cabbages, red cabbage, as well as all salads: headlettuces, batavia lettuces, leaf lettuces, endives, chicory, mesclun, rocket and even Chinese cabbage. 

You can also start  seeding lamb 's lettuce towards the end of the month.

If we turn our attention to root vegetables, you can plant wintercarrots, turnips, black radishes, turnips and kohlrabi (until July 15th). It's generally too late to sow any beets, with the exception of the Crapaudine variety, which can still be planted in the beginning of the month.  This is an age-old classic that is particularly tasty and has recently came back into fashion in the kitchen.

For fruiting vegetables, re-sow your zucchini plants to replace the first plants that will soon pine away. You have until the end of the month to sow the last green beans if you intend to see a harvest around September-October. Just remember that the harvest will commence only 2 months after sowing. Remember to cover the seedlings for a few weeks after they sprout to prevent them from over-exposure.

Your first green manure plants (white clover, mustard, or buckwheat in cool climates) can also be seeded, filling up any planks that have already been cleared of their previous harvest.

Plants for your vegetable patch

In terms of basic rules, its important to avoid planting during periods of increased heat and protect your existing plants by supplying them with a little shade if needed. It's best to do your seeding in overcast weather. Especially during the summer months, it is crucial that any leeks, salads and beets be reduced by at least least 1/3 to reduce evaporation. This will help new seedlings prosper. 

The following species will thrive in your garden:

• Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, headed cabbages and brussels sprouts. Plant in July to get a harvest in October, making sure to remove the plant along with it's roots to promote recovery. When re-planting, bury the roots and stems up to the first leaf and verify that the soil is tightely packed down;

• Black, purple or pink radishes;

• Leeks, which are put in the ground once they have reached the size of a pencil. Be sure to trim the longest roots before putting in;

• Celery branches and celery root;

• Chard;

• A second wave of  cucumbers and pickles can be transplanted;

Maintaining your vegetable patch

Make some room among the plants that are starting to get overrun, be they carrots, beets, salads, leeks or turnips.

Prune your vegetable plants to promote an earlier havest. You can do so with eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, gherkins, squash and melons.

Secure the tomatoes to their support.

Water in the evening and consider setting up an automatic watering system before any extended holidays.

Keep track of any beetles venturing on the potato leaves. If you see any, displace the adults manually and destroy the eggs.

To protect against a variety of diseases,  spray nettle and horsetail manure on your vegetables every 2 to 3 weeks, especially on tomatoes and potatoes.

Apply protection nets  to prevent insects from laying eggs on leeks, carrots and cabbages.

Aromatic Plants

Aromatic plants can be started in both individual pots or planters. These include such varieties as parsley, basil, chives, sage and thyme.

Use scissors to trim any parsley or chivestalks that are overgrown to force them to produce young shoots, which provides a more delicate taste. Cut the rosemary completely.

Decorative gardens

Routine maintenance in July 

Clean your planters by removing any fading flowers that are hiding among the pelargoniums, surfinias, fuchias. Use a stake to hold up the dahlias.

Prune any shrubs that bloom in spring, early in the month if possible.

Prune any non-climbing roses once their flowering is over.

The lawn  should be regularly mown and irrigated twice a week, if no rain is present.

Watering is essential 

Flowers, which are much more vulnerable than vegetables, are extremely sensitive to even the slightest lack of water.

It's important to ensure that any shrubs that are recently planted (within a few months) still receive adequate watering.

Watering is more efficient if it is applied to the base of the rose bush. Watering the foliage will eventually lead to the appearance of a powdery mildew, a symptom of a disease from which the rose is susceptible.

Mulching, the same which is done in gardens, can also be succesfully applied on decorative flower beds, especially for rocky gardens, where such materials as bark or gravel are the perfect backdrop for the plants and the environment.

Spread the plants out

Expand any perennial flowers that have finished blooming by dividing each tuft every 2 or 3 years. This will serve not only to plant elsewhere, but also to invigorate and refresh the plant.

Cutting and expanding in this way can be applied to hydrangeas, anthemises, tuberous begonias, coleuses, fuchsias. A variety of shrubs can also be split, including but not limited to abelias, hibiscuses, bladder-sennas, trumpet vines, beautyberries, camellias, caryopterises, flowering quince, dogwood, holly, kolkwitzias, oleanders, lilac, cheesewood, cinquefoil and privet.

Now is also the time to plant fall-flowering bulbs like crocus or sternbergia...

If they are in planters, replace any plants that are damaged and refill the holes. Better yet, you still have time to plant annual or perennial plants for the end of summer  (fuschia, sage, geranium, dahlia, tickseed, valerian, Buenos Aires vervain, beeblossom...)

Orchards and berries

Once they have bloomed, trim any raspberry leaves to the ground.

For fruit trees, it's best to practice regular trimming, to keep promoting new growth.

Thin out any apple or pear trees  by removing the excess fruit so that those remaining on the tree can grow to a larger size.

Pay special attention to any vines. If they are subject to hot, humid weather, they are heavily impacted by mildew and its powdery form. Copper is used to treat the first, while sulfur is used for the second. In order to take preventative measures,  spray them with horsetail manure.

Remember to water the fruit trees  that you planted in the fall or over the past winter.

Re-install any pest trapping systems.

The garden and the vegetable patch over the months

Gardening throughout the year while still respecting the lunar calendar and the environment is absolutely achievable. Depending on the month, we've compiled expert advice into a complete gardening guide to help you prepare your seedlings andplant flowers and vegetables in your garden, balcony or on deck.

• What to plant in March?
• What flowers to plant in March?
• What vegetables to plant in March?
• What flowers to plant in April?
• What vegetables to plant in April?
• What flowers to plant in May?
• What vegetables to plant in May?
• What flowers to plant in June?
• What vegetables to plant in June?
• What to plant in August?
• What to plant in September?

And for an even more efficient garden, don't hesitate to check out our guides:

• How to garden with the moon?
• How to set up a permaculture garden?
• Permaculture: features and benefits
• How to grow an organic garden?
• How to choose your watering system?
• How to choose your watering system for a vegetable patch?
• How to install a robot lawn mower?