July Gardening Chores in the Edmonton Area

By Brett Kerley

With warmer days and milder nights, our gardens should be looking great. There are a few July gardening chores you can do now to keep them looking great, now and in future.

Watering

When we have mini heat waves it’s a good idea to water your gardens and yards daily, and maybe twice a day in some cases. It’s better to water in the mornings because you will lose less water to evaporation if you time waterings for between 6 and 10 a.m. If that’s not possible, then try it later in the evening when it cools off a bit.

Lawn Care

When the weather is really hot, forget about mowing your lawn. The longer your grass, the deeper the roots will grow to reach moisture. I’ve worked for companies that wanted it cut no matter what, but if you cut it short, you will spend a fortune either watering it or trying to bring it back to life after it’s all turned brown. A higher lawn will shade the soil and minimize evaporation. Let it grow to 4” before mowing it back to 3-3.5”. A summer fertilizer can also be applied to help beat the heat and drought conditions. It feeds for stronger grass and deeper roots and controls pesky summer diseases like summer patch, brown spot, and rust.

A bed of colourful perennial flowers

Take Notes

Right now, most flowers are in bloom, so take notes about what you see. Write down what you like and don’t like about them. A gardener’s journal is great for these kinds of notes.

  • Do they have a disease or pest attacking them? Describe what you see or take photos.
  • Are they growing in an odd shape?
  • Is there stunted growth?
  • Are they flopping over? Can you find something to support them?

These are all things you can remedy either immediately or in future years. Take a photo and ask for help on our Facebook page. Our members have seen many of these problems themselves and love to offer and discuss possible solutions. Let our community help you!

Deadheading

You’ll see those late spring flowers starting to fade and die back. If you haven’t done it already, now is the time to deadhead them. Depending on the type of plant, it could just be the flower head you need to take off or the whole stem. Google or ask our community to find the best method for that particular plant.

Weeding

Keep up with that weeding; the more you weed now the less you’ll have to weed in the future. If you let those pesky weeds go to seed, it will cause you more trouble in future, as some seeds can remain dormant for several years. Refreshing mulch will help keep weeds at bay. Make sure to have at least 3” of mulch. You can add mulch at any time of year. I prefer to do so in the fall when the weather is not so hot. It is not uncommon to have to add mulch bi-annually as it breaks down adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

Planting ground covers is also great to keep weeds down. I recommend that you avoid the use of herbicides; it can kill off the beneficial bugs that you need to pollinate the rest of your garden. Pulling weeds by hand, although time consuming, is the most effective method. There are simple tools that do make it easier, like a handheld dandelion puller tool or a hori hori knife to dig those roots out.

Extending the Season

If you like to extend the growing season into the fall, now is the time to purchase those late summer/early fall seeds. Plan for the extra garden supplies that you’ll need and look out for all those marvelous late crops that’ll get you excited again. Even though it’s July and tempting to relax in the nice warm weather, August and September aren’t too far away. We can get frost in those months, so plan ahead by getting your greenhouses, cold frames, hoop houses and row covers ready. You don’t want to be caught out by a sudden cold spell.

As a wildlife gardener, I try to keep as many pollinator plants blooming throughout the growing season as I can. Remember, if you want late season vegetables you need to have those late season pollinator plants to go along with them. Annual companion plants include sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtiums, and verbena. Perennial pollinator plants include goldenrod, black-eyed susan, stonecrop, salvia and coneflowers. Many garden centres and stores have them on sale at this time of the year, although I’d wait for a cooler day to plant them.

The best thing to do in July is to enjoy your garden. Just being outside listening to the birds singing and watching the bugs crawl around takes you away to a different place. But a gardener’s work is never done, and please remember to wear your sunscreen! Happy gardening, everyone!