Welcome to July, the month you realize you’ve grown your very own produce aisle where you can take anything you want for free. You don’t even need a coupon.
July is my favourite month to spend time in the garden. The birds are active, butterflies are making the rounds and honeybees are pollen-drunk. Every plant you nurtured and worried about is grown and lush (or dead and forgotten about) and there’s an abundance of food that you can finally pick and eat. It’s very, very exciting.
Table of Contents
What to Expect In July
If you followed my June garden advice to keep everything watered, weeded and pest free, the only thing you need do in July is pick vegetables and brag.
And keep everything watered, weeded and pest free.
And maybe buy a nail brush.
The difference between June and July garden work is that in July you get rewarded for all the work with fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic.
You've also possibly been discouraged to the point of giving up by July.
DON'T DO THAT.
It takes a remarkably long time to get really good at gardening. Way longer than most hobbies. Why is that?
It's basic math.
Take baking for instance. Let's say you want to be a REALLY good baker, but you bake a cake and it sucks. It's awful. But you want to try again.
So next week you buy more ingredients and you bake another cake. It's a bit better. You continue trying. By the end of one year you'll have baked 52 cakes. That's 52 times you've been able to try again and fix your mistakes in one year.
But growing vegetables?
In the words of prominent gardener Eminem - You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to grow.
Eminem
Take it from Eminem.
With gardening you only have one shot a year because it takes 3-4 months for your vegetables to "bake". If something screws up in that time your window of opportunity (daylight & heat) has passed and you have to wait an ENTIRE YEAR before you can try again.
That is why it takes a long time to get good at gardening. And why it's so disappointing when things go sideways on you.
You only have one (maybe 2) chances a year to try it.
Also the fact that Google gives a shit-ton of bad advice for gardening doesn't help.
Like I always say - to learn about gardening go to personal blogs where people ACTUALLY garden. Get advice from experienced gardeners - not The Spruce.
JULY GARDENING TASKS
MAINTENANCE
- Keep weeding, watering and watching for pests.
- Keep everything tied and staked up neatly to reduce disease and increase production. It just makes things easier all around.
- Stop watering your garlic 2 weeks before it is ready to harvest. A good rule of thumb is that once the bottom leaves of the garlic start to get the slightest bit brown, STOP watering.
- Formulate a plan for getting rid of your zucchini. If you grew more than one zucchini plant you’re going to need to give a lot away. By the end of July neighbours, friends and family will no longer be pleased when you thrust a zucchini in their faces. Look for open car windows and just drop zucchini in as you walk past. Seriously. Getting rid of the abundance of zucchini will become a full time job. Maybe wear a disguise.
PESTS AND SOLUTIONS
In July the pests get bigger and grosser. This month they’re attacking your actual vegetables as opposed to just the plants. It will make you angry, disheartened and vengeful. Direct all those emotions into eradicating them.
Bug Patrol
July is when the scary bugs come out to play. Vine Borers and Tomato Hornworm are two pests that can kill you plants almost overnight. And you WON’T even see it coming – unless you know what to look for. I’m about to tell you what to look for.
SQUASH VINE BORERS
If you’ve ever grown a beautiful tangled mess of squash vines only to find them completely wilted almost overnight, chances are you had Squash Vine Borer. But you probably didn’t know it because the pest doesn’t crawl over the plant or chew at any visible part of the plant. The larvae lives inside the stem of your squash plant, eating the entire inside of it.
The life cycle is this: a red and green moth that looks more like a fly, lands on your squash vine when it’s young. It lays its eggs right at the base of where the stem meets the soil.
When the eggs hatch, the tiny larvae eat their way inside the middle the stem where the live for the rest of their life happily eating the stem until there’s nothing left. The plant finally has no stem left, other than a thin skin, all the vines wilt and the plant dies. Without you suspecting a thing.
Squash Vine Borer Control
In July start to check your squash and pumpkin stems for Squash Vine Borer by having a look where the stem meets the soil. If you see yellow frass or what looks like chewed up yellow gunk at the soil line, you know your plant is infected.
Gently squeeze the stem and if you find where it is mushy or hollow feeling that's where the squash vine borer is living. A healthy stem feels perfectly solid and hard.
Now you have to get that sucker out of there. When the time comes, read this post on how to Get Rid of Squash Vine Borer. You're going to cut the stem open and stab the grub. Seriously.
Plants affected: squash, pumpkin.
TOMATO HORNWORM
Definition: A terrifying caterpillar the size of a ketchup bottle with what amounts to a sword sticking out of its bum.
See proof below.
Any time I encounter a tomato hornworm I scream and run away. It’s that big and grotesque. It very much looks like something that might take you hostage.
Tomato hornworms can eat through an entire tomato plant in a day or two. They’ll eat all the leaves and the tomatoes. If you find a tomato that looks like a human has taken a big bite out of it, chances are you have a hornworm hiding in your garden.
Even though they’re huge, they’re difficult to see because they’re the same colour as a tomato leaf, so check your plants carefully if you see extreme damage to your plants in a very short period of time.
Tomato Hornworm Control
You have 2 main options for dealing with the tomato hornworm.
- Handpick the caterpillars off and drown them in water (or feed them to chickens if you have them).
- Stop the hornworm before it becomes a nuisance by spraying your tomatoes with B.T. (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural soil bacteria that destroys the gut of any caterpillar that eats something it has been sprayed on.
Keep in mind it works on all caterpillars so keep it away from any butterfly host plants you have around like milkweed or dill. Once ingested, the B.T. won’t harm birds or other animals that then eat the caterpillars.
BLIGHT
Blight isn’t a pest but it is a problem. Early and Late Blight will also take out your tomato plants at a remarkable pace.
You’ll know you have blight if your tomato leaves start to get spots on them, turn yellow and eventually dry up and fall off of the plant. Your tomatoes will also get marred with dark spots and sometimes white furry bits.
Ways to reduce the risk of it are to keep all your tomatoes leaves away from the soil by stringing them up (or tying or caging) and making sure the lower leaves are stripped away from the stem. Mulching the soil underneath the plants also helps.
Learn how to string AKA trellis training tomatoes here.
A few years ago I discovered that the biofungicide product Serenade can stop blight. It contains Bacillus subtilis which is scientifically proven to stop blight.
I tested it and it worked miraculously. It stopped the leaf spot and impending death of my tomatoes.
If you’re a new gardener this is probably good news for you. If you’re a veteran gardener you have a better understanding of how remarkable this is and you’re probably doing magnificent cartwheels right now.
Get ready to tuck and roll that cartwheel because they discontinued the product. Don't ask me why. I don't know why. Because they're stupid is my guess.
I've searched for products in Canada that contain the same biochemicals but haven't been successful.
In America, you can use Cease to control blight which also contains Bacillus subtilis (strain QST 713).
TOOLS
You’ll have all the same standard tools as I mentioned in part 3 of this series and part 2 (dutch hoe, clippers, trowel, shovel, gardening gloves, stakes/cages, row cover, compost bin).
Additional things you’ll need in the garden for July are:
- Bags, buckets or baskets for bringing produce back to your house. Just keep them right there in the garden because even though you think you won’t need them or figure you’ll remember them – you won’t. Just keep a supply handy otherwise you’ll be leaving the garden like me in the photo above. Yes. There is a person behind all those carrots. If you look carefully you can see my eyes peeking out carefully scanning the world for tomato hornworms.
- A bottle of water. July is hot and gardening is fun. This is a bad combination if it means you spend a lot of time outside but forget to hydrate because you’re having so much fun. Keep a bottle of water with you and remember to drink it if you’re out gardening for any more than a half an hour.
- Scissors and a knife. You’re actually harvesting stuff this month! So you’ll need something sharp to cut your broccoli crowns, cauliflower, lettuce and zucchini with. Some vegetables can just be pulled off, but if they don’t come up with only a slight tug you’re safer to cut vegetables off the plants so you don’t disturb or break the plants.
WHAT CAN BE PLANTED THIS MONTH
You can start thinking about second plantings of things in July. In my zone (6b) Carrots, beets, lettuce can be planted for a later fall harvest and even things like zucchini and squash should still have time to produce if you plant them now.
Just in case they were eaten by squash vine borers or succumbed to disease. Because if you have a healthy zucchini plant, we’ve established you aren’t going to need more than one of them.
Happy July gardening.
I've been growing about 10 tomatoes in pots for a decade in Michigan, and I have never seen a tomato hornworm?!?!
Maybe this is because I have my tomatoes trained up the fence, and the other side of the fence is filled with native pollinator plants. I often see lots of wasps, so maybe the parasitic ones are getting them, or maybe it's the praying mantises. I hope my luck continues!
Not writing in support of hornworms I swear, but (graphic details follow) I found one on a tomato plant once, there wasn't any destruction, and after inspecting more closely I saw little white eggs all over from its very own parasitic wasp species (on my own back porch, I was so impressed)- found this link for more info: https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/hornworm-tomato
Yes! That's a fascinating thing. I've never seen it myself, but other gardeners at my community garden have. ~ karen!
I found one last year on my tomato plant and was pretty grossed out and of two minds. Yes, the hornworm can cause damage but at the same time I felt horrendous and disgusted at what was going to happen to it by leaving those eggs on it. I mean...just imagine! Or don't is probably better. I took a photo of it. Wish I could share. Nature is really something!
For those of you in the States and Canada, you can always ask if you have a Master Gardener program within the county (or neighboring county) or province, where you live. The program is run by the State or Province University Cooperative Extension. We only give out researched based advice on everything from fruit to nuts (and then some!) regarding your plants, watering, soil, pesticides, etc. We have extensive hours of training and have to maintain that with extra training each year. Our services are free to the public as part of the volunteer hours we give back to the community for the education we were able to obtain. We operate plant clinics, info booths, help with school veggie gardens, etc. I am working our helpline this week which is available within my county 6 days a week to answer any questions you might have. We always can use more volunteers if any of you think this sounds like fun (and it is!). The nice thing about having a local resource is we are familiar with your soil types, weather, bugs, weeds, etc., as our gardens have the same conditions. Sorry if this sounds like an advertisement, I am just mentioning it as an additional resource you can tap into besides Karen's blog.
Have you bought about attracting birds to your garden with a birdbath and a couple of nesting boxes on stakes around the perimeter? Bringing up a family of fledglings requires he parents to find TONS of bugs from your garden. Songbirds eat loads of caterpillars and other creepy crawlies. Nature’s pest controllers. Works very well in my garden.
Yup, I have lots of birds in my garden -- eating my seeds if I don't cover them, having a strawberry feast (they left me a few), and pooping all over my trellises. But, gotta love their chirping and how pretty they are so there they stay. I could cover the strawberries after all as I do the seeds.
Hi Hanna. The garden is actually surrounded by conservation area and the entire community garden is surrounded with birdhouses every 20' or so on the fence. There's every songbird known to mankind I think, Osprey, hawks, ... It's basically like being Snow White while I'm in the garden. So lack of birds isn't an issue. :) ~ karen!
Hello
Love your article's and I did up my zucchini just like you said and I have tons of flowers but no zucchini. The flowers are always closed to self pollinate and we have no bees in our area. I have been planting flowers threwout my yard to attract them. They did not spray this year but the last two years so we have no bees or anything else that is good for the yard. So can I cut the flower open to get the pollen in? I am just so disappointed that I have none and my tomato plants are over 8 feet high with flowers and tomatoes but not getting big or ripe. Never have I had a problem with gardening since I moved up north in Michigan.
Thank you
Remember that tomatoes require certain temperatures to get ripe, and ripening stops when it is above 85 or 90 degrees. It's been a hot summer in my area of Michigan, so it might be causing your tomatoes to pause development too. They will ripen when the temperature is back in the 65-85 degree range, so be patient!
I just need to say, how dare you be right about the cabbage moth threat back in May/June...
It's my first time gardening (near Detroit so I think same zone?)
My kale was doing so well, I pulled off baby leaves and had a delicious salad and thought (ha, no need to cover, there's no sign of those little jerks)... I didn't cover...
A week later the leaves were huge and full and lush and I got cocky... and still didn't cover... I couldn't see the teeny tiny green bumps...
It took them three days... I came out to weed and water and all I had were these bare lacinato kale spines... I'll never doubt you again.
See below my comments- Karen is ALWAYS right.
Isn't Canada in America🤣👍
Ahh, harvesting things. In my gardening dreams.
I've finally got my new garden area dug out, and planted - about a month or more late. The old garden I inherited is a weedy sodden wet area of the lawn, and really not good for vegetables. We haven't had rain in weeks and it's still a bit sodden, to give you an idea of how NOT well-draining it is. There are some various berry bushes doing well in there, but they'll get moved later in the year, or next year.
The squashes in the shiny new garden are blooming but have no fruits yet, the marigolds from seed are flowering but still fairly small in stature, the peppers are only about 9" high, and everything else is simply trying to survive the wildlife. The cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, and some various flowers have been razed almost to the ground by some critter in the yard. I haven't seen our groundhog eating anything but zinnias (pulling them down to its face height to eat only the flowers) but I suspect it of the aforementioned crimes. I suppose we could have other culprits, but I've only seen the rabbits in the front lawn and I am biased because they're so cute. The chipmunks seem focused on demolishing the gooseberries, currants, and tree fruits, at least for now. I did suspect the deer, because the tops of the daylilies were chewed off, but who knows. Maybe it's a team effort!
I need to figure out some fencing for these varmints!!
I actually took my fencing down last year because in a BIG garden area a lot of times fences deter the predatory birds from swooping in. But I'm putting it back up this year. Last night I discovered all my green bean leaves were eaten (rabbits) and a rather impressive pile of raccoon poop in the middle of my zucchini bed. I'm going with rolls or very small. hole hardware cloth. ~ karen!
I just looked up “ Cease “ ……looks like maybe you can purchase at Canadian Tire….that being said- I just glanced at the info sheet , and it appears that one must wear a mask and PPE….and then a whole bunch of precautions…..you know what ? I am thinking not a good idea. Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi keeps earworming…..hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT.
Hi! I've looked and looked but can't find Cease anywhere at Canadian Tire - could you link to it? There shouldn't be any PPE required, it's a soil borne biological fungicide. Similar to BT. I just want to make sure you're looking at the right thing. ~ karen!
As usual, you are ALWAYS right…..and I was a lazy fool to believe mr Google when he told me it was at Canadian Tire….put Google in the same shade as The Spruce ..see below. So guessing that it hasn’t been approved by Canadian govt yet..?
A thousand Sorrys !!!
LOL ohhhhhhhhh I am definitely not always right. In fact to be right even a fraction of the time you have to be wrong a LOT first so yeah - not always right. ~ karen!
Throwing that The Spruce shade!
Oh, we’ve so many tomatoes! Fertilized with our neighbor’s horse’s manure.
Do you think you’ll expand to incubating eggs? Do you have a rooster?
Hi John! I have incubated eggs! :) I did it under my hen that's especially broody all the time ALWAYS. Because I don't have a rooster I bought the fertilized eggs and just stuck them under her. ~ karen!
If I just throw the horn worms out in the yard, can they make their way back?
Ps. Wear gloves if pulling them off, I got peed on, EW!
I usually just cut off what's left of the stem and TOSS! Will never pick them off again! Lol! & ew!
I've been working on building up the flower beds, in front and behind the garden, the last several years, but with more flowers, instead of attracting more good bugs, I only seem to have attracted all the EVIL bugs. Who have done a very good (EVIL), job of eating my tiny garden. Where are the good guys? Any ideas?
Thanks :)
Appreciate your articles.
About the picture with the carrots, where are your eyes peeking out of? That pic is of your butt. ;) lol
Your garden is beautiful! I didn't even try this year. It has been 105 to 110 all month here in Texas, and we're in a terrible drought so we have to keep watering to a minimum. You are very blessed to live in such a lovely place.
Yes, Texas is a tough climate for vegetables. It certainly wouldn't take long for your compost piles to heat up though, lol. ~ karen!
Gardening can truly be called a labor of love. Or labour in the mystical lands North of the USA border. Kudos to ya'. That hornworm sounds like quite the beastie. Crikey!
Yeah, they're terrifying and I'm just glad they don't have legs or wings at this point in their life. ~ karen!