10 Mid Summer Garden Tips

All the time you’ve put into preparing for the summer growing season has paid off. Vegetables are getting larger, blooms are getting bigger, and temperatures are steadily rising. Be diligent through the summer, and your garden will remain beautiful through the fall and beyond. If you’re having difficulties, follow these 10 Mid Summer Garden Tips:

Mulch

If you didn’t mulch your plants during spring, summer is the ideal time to lay down or add more to your flower beds and trees. Mulch acts as a protective barrier, shading soil from the sun and preventing the ground from drying out. Mulch contains chips of wood, straw, or leaves, organic materials that decay. These materials enrich the soil and provide nutrients to the roots below the surface.

Water

As temperatures rise, stay on top of watering! Establish a regular watering schedule and change that schedule if necessary, reacting to temperature and plant conditions. If plants begin to dry out, adjust your schedule. In most cases, it’s ideal to water deeply every few days, encouraging the development of a robust root system among your plants.

Pest Control

Pests can be a menace during the long summer season. Act quickly if and when you notice destruction to blooms, leaves, or the development of fungal diseases. There are a wide variety of natural and chemical solutions to nurture and protect your foliage.

Weed Control

Weeds tend to thrive as grass, and certain plants struggle through the summer heat. Stay on top of weeds. Pull them when you see them begin to sprout. If you allow them to grow, they’ll start stealing moisture and nutrients from the plants you want to enjoy.

Monitor Container Plants

Primp, prune, and replace when necessary. Potted plants can be tricky during the summer heat. Make sure your potted plants are in the appropriate size pot, use a good quality growing mix, and water diligently. Most importantly, keep a keen eye on the plants and adjust their placement if unhappy.

Harvest

Summer is the time to pull edible blooms or pluck the ripe fruits and vegetables from your garden. Make sure blooms are flawless and pest-free if possible. Ripe fruits should pull easily; however, some vegetables with thick stems or vines may require cutting. Pick regularly to avoid rot!

Deadhead Flowers

Removing spent blooms from appropriate perennials, such as bougainvillea or roses, will prevent the plant from seeding and encourage it to keep flowering through the summer. New buds will return again and again. The same goes for garden fruits and vegetables. If a ripe fruit or vegetable stays on the stem too long, it could slow or stop production.

Propagate

Summer is an ideal time for softwood cuttings. Just snip the top few centimeters of new growth, remove the bottom few leaves, and place the stem into a fresh pot of moist compost. Water well and consider covering the pot with a plastic bag to increase humidity. If you put the pot in a warm spot with indirect sunlight, you’ll have healthy new growth in no time. Once you see signs of new growth, remove the bag and water!

Start Fall Seeds

Begin preparing for the next season. Turn the soil of your garden, add fertilizer, and plant new crops. Various fall and winter vegetables like the warm soil during germination. As the season turns to fall, they’ll begin to thrive in the cooler temperatures.

Replace Plants

Sometimes, summer is a hard-fought battle. In the end, some plants can’t handle the heat and give up under stress. That’s ok. Replace them. Take a trip to your local nursery and enjoy perusing the plants local to your region and find something new to enjoy.