JULY TIPS

• Snip off the browned-out flower heads of perennials that have bloomed already, such as salvia, dianthus, daylilies, foamflowers, veronica, iris and brunnera. This is commonly called “deadheading” and not only neatens the garden but may encourage repeat blooming.
• Watch the water. This is the hottest, driest month in much of the U.S., so check the soil moisture and water accordingly. Pay particular attention to plants planted this spring.
• If there’s no rain, apply 1 inch of water each week or 10 days from the hose or watering can. Early-morning and early-evening watering is best.
• To keep your hanging baskets and flower pots growing evenly, turn the containers a quarter of a turn every few days. That gives all sides an equal shot at sunlight so you don’t end up with lush, dense growth on just one side.
• Harvest early-planted vegetables as they’re ready, such as potatoes, cabbage, onions, leeks and beets. Immediately replant with crops that grow in summer’s heat and will mature before frost, such as beans, cucumbers, zucchini, melons and more beets. Apply weed provender to all your newly planted veggies when they are established (at least 2-3 inches tall).
• Remove water sprouts (from trunk) and suckers (sprouts from roots) on crabapple and other ornamental fruit trees.
• Reapply weed preventor every three months to prevent summer and winter annual weed seeds from germinating and growing in flower beds and around trees and shrubs. It also has a well-balanced fertilizer to keep plant growth healthy and flower production strong.
• Don’t remove clippings from the lawn unless grass is excessively tall. Clippings return nutrients to the soil and do not contribute to thatch buildup.

Sow seeds for a fall harvest of broccoli.

• Start seeds of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and ornamental kale and cabbage for late-summer plantings and fall harvest.
• This is peak month for Japanese beetles – the bug bane of rose-growers. Hand-pick them, repel them with neem oil or mint-based sprays, or use an insecticide if they’re really bad. Beetle traps usually make the problem worse unless everyone else around you is also using them.

 

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MAINE VEGETABLE GARDENING: KEEP YOUR GARDEN GROWING – PLANT FROM SPRING TO FALL

Early Spring	Midspring	Early Summer	Midsummer to Fall
Plant as soon as the ground can be worked	Plant two weeks before the average last frost date	Plant when soil & sun are warm	Plant in late June-early July
PLANTS	PLANTS	PLANTS	PLANTS
Broccoli Cabbage	Cauliflower	Eggplant Pepper Tomato	Beet Broccoli Carrot Cauliflower Lettuce Radish
SEEDS	SEEDS	SEEDS	SEEDS
Endive Lettuce Onion Sets Pea Radish Spinach Turnip	Beet Carrot Onion Sets Parsnips Swiss Chard	Cucumber Lima Beans Melon Okra Pumpkin Squash Winter Potatoes	Beet Broccoli Carrot Cauliflower Lettuce Radish
	Plant 1 Week Later		Plant In Early August
	Bean Corn Early Potatoes		Broccoli * Cabbage * Cauliflower * SEEDS: Lettuce Spinach Turnip &nsbp; Plant 10 Weeks Before Last Frost SEEDS: Beet Carrot

*Plants are set out later than seeds as sown because hot weather is not favorable for growth

Planting Seeds Indoors	Weeks To Sow Indoors Before Last Frost	Weeks To Germination	Set Out Transplants
Broccoli	5-7	1-2	After frost, late summer
Brussel Sprouts	4-6	1-2	After frost, late summer
Cabbage	5-8	1-2	After frost, late summer
Cauliflower	5-8	1-2	After frost, late summer
Cucumbers	2-3	1-2	2 weeks after frost
Eggplant	8-9	2-3	Midspring, early summer
Leeks	10-12	2-3	Mid to late spring
Head Lettuce	3-5	2-3	After frost
Onions	6-8	2-3	After frost
Peppers	8-10	1-2	Mid to late spring
Tomatoes	6-8	2-3	Mid to late spring