Use This Midsummer Checklist to Get Your Garden Growing
You may have planted in the spring, but that doesn’t mean your garden is done. In fact, now is a good time to do maintenance in the middle of summer. To keep things as simple as possible, here is a checklist to help you complete some important mid-season tasks.
Midsummer garden maintenance checklist
Of course, all gardens are different, so not all of them apply to yours. But they should at least give you an idea of the types of tasks that can benefit your garden this time of year.
1. Dead perennials
Harvest (i.e. cut off) any withered, brown flower heads of perennials that are out of bloom, including those planted in the ground, in containers, and hanging baskets. Not only will this improve the appearance of your garden, but it will also encourage new growth for plants that have been cut.
2. Take care of any pest problems
If you notice that something has been gnawing at your plants, now is the time to find out who is responsible for the damage before they continue feasting. You will have a better chance of getting rid of pests if you first identify them and then choose a method that targets that insect without harming your other plants or your local pollinators.
Beware of Japanese beetles , which tend to arrive in late June or early July and stay home until mid-August and can cause serious damage to your garden.
3. Take Care of Your Tomatoes
Depending on the weather in your area, some of your early tomatoes may have blossom end rot. It’s pretty common when it’s been especially hot and there’s nothing to worry about too much. Simply remove any rotten fruit to make room for healthy tomatoes at the end of the season.
4. Cover your ground
Do you have a gap in your garden rotation? If so, you can plant a summer cover crop to slow down soil erosion over the next few months. Popular variations include buckwheat or lace phacelia , as well as sudex (sudangrass or sorghum-sudangrass).
5. Adjust your lawnmower settings
Those with traditional grass lawns should consider increasing the cutting height to four (or more) inches if possible. Not only does this help keep the soil cooler, but it also gives the grass a better chance to recover from being cut.