Gardening Tips for July

July Gardening Article
by Neil DeWitt

If all is going well in your garden, you are enjoying the harvest of your labors. Hopefully it is a sweet harvest for you. The time and effort you have been putting into your garden is surely well worth it when you can enjoy fresh vegetables direct from your garden to your table. I have to admit to eating directly from my garden all three meals of the day, as well as enjoying sweet snacks in-between meals, such as melon, tomatoes, and carrots. Don’t you just love summer!

A Harvesting Gospel
· When there is something big enough to eat, go after it!
· Small is beautiful, tasty, and tender, too! (Size does matter for vegetables, usually smaller is even better)
· Cut your greens so they’ll come back - - - again and again. (Even cabbage and broccoli will produce additional heads)
· Keep picking! Don’t let plants go to seed except for a few select ones that you may wish to use for seeds for the future!
· For canning and freezing, always harvest only the best---and at the right time of day! (Early Morning)

This is the month when you often find you have more of a harvest than you can eat or give to neighbors, staying up with all that is coming from your garden. This is when you reap the special rewards of being able to “can” or freeze your excess to enjoy in those months when the garden has quit providing you with fresh produce. July is also a time to make a decision about a “fall garden.” We are so lucky in our little valley to have a growing season that allows us to have a second season of summer crops such as tomatoes, sweet corn and peppers. So, if you haven’t already done so, now is the time for a second planting of sweet corn. And, this month is the time to get some tomato and pepper seeds started for transplanting for a late fall crop at the end of July or the first week or so of August. Besides planting new seeds for tomato plants, you have the option of pruning your tomato plants back if they have quit all fruit production. These pruned plants will produce a new fall crop, however new plants from seeds almost always will out-produce these pruned plants. One final option is to start new plants from cuttings from your favorite tomato plants. These root cuttings will generally perform equally well against new plants grown from seeds.

Pumpkins and winter squash should be planted this month to be ready for harvest in mid-October. You may consider planting some ornamental or decorative corn, or perhaps some popcorn at this time to include with your Halloween displays. Decorative gourds are another possibility. You can make some neat table centerpieces with these ornamental crops.

Cool weather crops such as cabbage, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, onions and beets do well in our mild winters. I like to sow cabbage, broccoli, onion and lettuce seed into a row in my garden to produce transplants that I will thin and set-out in the garden in September. Carrots, beets and even onions can be sown into rows for your winter garden at the end of July. You just need to remember to keep your soil quite moist while your seeds are germinating at this time of year to keep the soil cool enough to allow the germination process to take place. I even try to “engineer” some type of shade for these rows to keep the afternoon sun from baking the soil. Mulching the soil with a couple of inches of compost up next to where the seeds are sown also helps. Just make sure you don’t cover the seeds with the compost or they will not be able to find their way to the surface when they germinate.

If you have herbs planted in your garden, you need to monitor their water carefully on these hottest of days. They need deep watering at least a couple of times per week to prevent them from wilting in the hot sun.

Pruning and fertilizing are not a good idea in the hot month of July, with the exception of pruning a few tomato plants back for a second crop from these plants.
Planning for a Fall Garden
Timing is important for a fall garden. Most folks put their gardens to bed too early. You will be amazed at the quantity and quality of your fall crops as productivity and flavor are enhanced by perfect growing conditions in our area. The cooler weather provides for additional moisture, less intense-over-the-top sunshine, less competition from weeds and insects/soil pests, and even plant diseases and above all else, the cooler temperatures of the desert area promote tender, tasty growth.

A Little Planning Now Will Help! Fall Planting Dates for Crops: (Safford Avg. = November 1)
Crop Weeks to plant before avg.first frost Crop Weeks to plant before avg.first frost
Green beans 7 - 10 Beets 8 - 12
Broccoli 6 - 8 Cabbage 6 - 8
Carrots 8 - 12 Cauliflower 6 - 8
Head Lettuce 8 - 10 Kale 4 - 10
Lettuce 4 - 6 Peas 6 - 10
Spinach 4 - 6 Tomatoes/Peppers 8 - 12