Seasonal jobs for the month: July

Jobs for the month archive

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July
1.

Divide bearded irises if their flowering performance is declining, and replant the youngest sections 30cm (12in) apart.

  
2.

Finish thinning dessert apples. Leave only one or two fruits spaced every 10–15cm (4–6in). Cooking apples can also be thinned, to 15–23cm (6–9in) apart.

  
3.

Sow spring cabbages such as ‘Durham’, and plant out young plants of winter cabbages such as ‘Winter Jewel’ (pictured).

  
4.

Deadhead roses, snapping just below spent flowerheads, to encourage more blooms on repeat-flowering cultivars.

  
5.

Turn compost heaps to add oxygen, and add extra water if necessary to ensure the heap is damp throughout; this helps bacteria and fungi to do their work breaking down plant material.

  
6.

Water courgettes consistently so they continue to flower and crop regularly.

  

Kitchen garden

  • Sow chard and perennial spinach for crops well into next spring.
  • Long-term crops such as brassicas may be mulched, ideally after rain to lock in moisture and add nutrients.
  • Fruit trees and bushes need lots of extra water to support developing fruit.

Pests, disease and disorders

  • Spray bean aphids with a soap-based or plant oil-based insecticide.
  • If soil is moist, treat lawns damaged by chafer grubs with a biocontrol.
  • Treat bitter pit in apples with calcium nitrate spray. Apply to fruit and leaves on cool evenings.

Ornamental Gardens

  • Trim evergreen hedges, including conifers. Use secateurs on broadleaved species to avoid cuts to individual leaves.
  • Cut back spent flowers of Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris selections.
  • Feed dahlias and cannas every two weeks with high-potassium fertiliser such as tomato feed.
  • Take internodal cuttings of clematis, cutting stems above and below a node.
  • Sow biennials such as sweet william and Brompton stock to flower next year.