19/07/2026
This weekend in the garden 18-19th July
General Summer Gardening Advice for July:
Watering: July can be warm and dry. Water deeply and thoroughly, especially for new plantings, containers, and hanging baskets. Water in the morning to allow moisture to pe*****te before the sun gets too hot. Prioritise plants that are most vulnerable to drying out.
W**ding: Continue to keep on top of w**ds, either by hoeing or hand-w**ding, to prevent them from competing with your cultivated plants for water and nutrients.
Feeding: Plants in containers and hanging baskets will benefit from regular feeding with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Many vegetables will also appreciate a weekly feed.
Pest and Disease Watch: Warm and humid conditions are ideal for many pests and diseases. Regularly inspect your plants and act quickly if you spot any issues.
Vegetable Garden
What to Sow Outdoors:
Beetroot: Early and maincrop varieties.
Carrots: Early varieties.
Chicory: 'Pain di Zucchero' (for autumn harvest), Red and Sugarloaf varieties.
Chinese Cabbage: Sow direct or in modules, do not transplant from a seedbed.
French Beans: Dwarf and runner beans (last batch before mid-July for an autumn crop).
Kohl Rabi
Lettuce: Loose leaf, Cos, crisphead, and butterhead. In hot weather, sow into modules or seed trays and shade.
Pak Choi
Parsley
Peas: Maincrop, mangetout, and sugarsnap (last batch before mid-July for an autumn crop).
Radish, Mooli, Winter Radish
Spinach (perpetual)
Swiss or Rainbow Chard
Turnips
What to Sow Undercover:
Many of the same vegetables you can sow outdoors (French and runner beans, peas, lettuce, salad leaves, oriental leaves, corn salad, endive, chicory, perpetual spinach, Swiss chard, Florence fennel, carrots, beetroot, turnips, swede, radish, kohl rabi, kale, broccoli raab/rapini, salad onions, and herbs like basil, chives, chervil, coriander, dill, parsley, fennel) can be started undercover for a head start or for a continuous supply.
Harvesting:
Potatoes: Early varieties can be harvested.
Carrots
Beetroot
Lettuce and Salad Leaves
Tomatoes: Begin harvesting as they ripen.
Garlic: Harvest when the foliage turns yellow and starts to bend sideways. Dry thoroughly in a sunny, dry place.
Rhubarb: Pick your last lots and remove any flower spikes.
Runner Beans: Pick regularly to encourage more pods.
Broad Beans: If still producing, continue to harvest. Once done, cut down the plants, leaving the roots to release nitrogen.
Courgettes, Cucumbers, Squashes: These should be producing well. Harvest regularly to encourage more fruit.
Peas and French Beans: Continue harvesting.
Herbs: Harvest herbs for fresh use or for drying.
Jobs in the Vegetable Plot:
Thinning: Thin out direct-sown crops like swedes and turnips for better root development. Thin heavy-set apples and plums.
Feeding: Liquid feed hungry crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, and sweetcorn weekly.
Planting Out: Plant out leeks, sprouting broccoli, winter cabbage, and Brussels sprouts in firm ground. Plant second cropping potatoes for a Christmas harvest. Plant out beetroot, fennel, and kohlrabi raised earlier in pots.
Tomato Care: Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes. Pinch out the main growing tip of outdoor tomatoes when four trusses have formed. Water and feed tomatoes regularly to prevent blossom end rot.
Training: Train cucumbers and melons upwards using wires or canes.
Mulching: Cover the soil around potatoes with compost or grass clippings to prevent tubers from turning green. Mulch rhubarb crowns after harvest.
Protect Cherries: Net cherry trees to protect fruit from birds.
Pruning: Prune trained apple and pear trees (espaliers, cordons) by reducing side shoots to 3-5 leaves. Prune gooseberries and currants by shortening side shoots to encourage next year's fruiting.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For:
Aphids (Greenfly/Blackfly): Inspect regularly, especially on new growth. Blast off with water or use organic treatments.
Slugs and Snails: They love humidity and young shoots. Use barriers like crushed eggshells or copper tape, or beer traps. Avoid slug pellets as they can harm wildlife.
Tomato Blight: A destructive fungal disease. Watch for wilting, browning, and rotting. Use blight-resistant varieties and grow undercover if possible.
Powdery Mildew: White or grey powdery coating on leaves, often on courgettes. Improve airflow by spacing plants and watering at the base.
Cabbage White Caterpillars: Inspect brassicas regularly for eggs and caterpillars. Handpick them off.
Onion White Rot: Fungal disease causing yellowing leaves and rotting bulbs. Remove and destroy infected plants.
Carrot Fly: Use physical barriers like fine mesh netting to prevent them from laying eggs near carrots.
The Flower Garden
What to Sow and Plant Outdoors:
Sow: Aquilegia, Campanula, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Myosotis, Penstemon, Pansy. You can also sow biennials for autumn planting such as Foxglove, Sweet William, and Forget-me-nots.
Plant: Continue planting out summer bedding plants if you haven't already.
Tasks in the Flower Garden, Feeding, Watering:
Deadhead Flowers Regularly: Remove spent blooms from roses, bedding plants, and perennials to encourage more flowers and keep displays neat.
Watering: Water thoroughly and deeply, especially new plantings and plants in containers.
Feeding: Feed containers and hanging baskets weekly with a balanced liquid fertiliser.
Support Tall Perennials: Tie tall plants like delphiniums, lilies, and hollyhocks to stakes or use plant supports to prevent them from flopping.
Trimming and Pruning: Trim most evergreen hedges this month. Lightly prune shrubs like Philadelphus and Weigela after flowering to shape and encourage strong growth next year.
W**ding: Continue to w**d beds regularly.
Mulching: If the weather is dry, apply mulch to lock in moisture and keep roots cool.
Pest and Diseases to Watch Out For:
Aphids: As in the vegetable garden, watch for these on new shoots and flower buds.
Powdery Mildew: Can affect roses, courgettes, and honeysuckle.
Black Spot: Common on roses, appearing as black spots on leaves. Remove affected leaves and ensure good air circulation.
Slugs and Snails: Continue to protect vulnerable plants, especially young seedlings.
Red Spider Mite: Can be an issue in hot, dry conditions, causing mottled leaves. Increase humidity around plants.
Lily Beetle: Bright red beetles that can decimate lilies. Handpick them off.
Box Tree Caterpillar: A relatively new pest in the UK, particularly in the south. Inspect box plants regularly for damage and webbing.
Jobs in the Flower Garden:
General tidying and deadheading.
Supporting tall plants.
Taking softwood cuttings (see Greenhouse section).
Layering shrubs like hydrangea, fuchsia, or lavender to propagate new plants.
Cutting back spent oriental poppies and delphiniums to ground level for a possible second flush of flowers in August/September.
In the Greenhouse
Cuttings to Take:
Softwood Cuttings: July is an excellent time for softwood cuttings.
Basil
Coleus
Geranium
Clematis
Fuchsia
Star Jasmine
Weigela
Hydrangeas
Pinks
Pelargoniums
Shrubs in general
Shrub roses
Carnations: Layering is also an option for propagation.
Jobs to Do:
Ventilation and Shading: Ensure good ventilation and provide shading to prevent overheating and scorching.
Damping Down: Damp down the paths and staging to increase humidity and deter red spider mites.
Watering: Water greenhouse plants thoroughly, as they dry out quickly.
Feeding: Continue feeding tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons with a high-potash feed weekly.
Training: Continue to tie in tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons as they grow.
Pinching Out: Pinch out the tops of tomatoes once they have formed four trusses (or as desired). Pinch out side shoots regularly.
Hand-Pollination: Hand-pollinate melons by transferring pollen from male to female flowers.
Sowing: Sow auriculas.
Move Houseplants: Most houseplants that have been in the greenhouse can be moved outdoors for the summer.
The Rose Garden
Deadhead Regularly: Remove spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering.
Prune Climbing and Rambling Roses: Once they have finished flowering, prune them to shape and encourage new growth.
Watering: Ensure roses are well-watered, especially during dry spells.
Feeding: A rose feed can be applied if not done recently, to support continuous blooming.
Pest and Disease Watch:
Aphids: Inspect new growth and flower buds.
Black Spot: Watch for black spots on leaves. Remove and destroy affected leaves. Improve air circulation.
Powdery Mildew: Look for a white powdery coating on leaves.
Tidying: Keep the area around roses clear of fallen leaves and debris to reduce disease spread.
Lawns
Mowing: Mow regularly (once or twice a week, depending on growth). Adjust the height of cut during dry spells – a slightly higher cut helps the grass retain moisture.
Watering: Water deeply if needed, preferably in the morning before 10 am. Avoid frequent, shallow watering.
Fertilising: If the weather isn't too hot, you can apply a summer lawn fertiliser, especially if you fertilised in spring. Do not fertilise in very hot and dry weather.
W**d Control: Deal with any broadleaf w**ds as they appear.
Ant Nests: Brush away ant nests on the surface and consider using a lawn pest killer if they are a persistent problem.
Aeration: Only aerate compacted areas if needed to improve drainage; avoid aerating the whole lawn if it's hot and dry.
Edging: Keep lawn edges neat and tidy.
Rock Gardens
Watering: Water rock garden plants carefully, ensuring good drainage. Alpine plants are often sensitive to excessive moisture at the crown.
Deadheading: Deadhead faded flowers to encourage further blooms or to prevent unwanted self-seeding.
W**ding: Keep vigilant with w**ding, as w**ds can quickly establish themselves in rock crevices.
Tidying: Remove any dead foliage or debris.
Pruning: Lightly prune any plants that are growing too vigorously and threatening to engulf smaller alpines.
Around the Pond
Water Levels: Keep an eye on water levels, especially in hot weather, and top up with rainwater from a water butt if possible. If using tap water, let it stand for 24 hours to allow chlorine to evaporate.
Remove Debris: Remove any dead or dying leaves from pond plants and any leaves or debris that have blown in. This prevents an increase in nitrogen, which can encourage algae.
Clear Algae/W**ds: Remove blanket w**d and duckw**d if they are becoming excessive. Leave any cleared vegetation by the pond for a day to allow wildlife to escape before composting.
Manage Oxygenators: If oxygenating plants like hornwort are taking over more than a third of the pond, cut them back.
Marginal Plants: W**d around marginal plants.
Wildlife Access: Ensure ramps are in place for wildlife to enter and exit the pond safely. Clean bird baths regularly.
Wildlife and Wildflower Meadows
Mowing Wildflower Meadows:
For summer-flowering meadows, cut between late July and March. If it's a large meadow, consider cutting different sections at different times from early July to early September to maximize biodiversity.
If you continuously cut early, plants may not set seed; if you cut too late, the meadow can become overgrown.
When mowing, keep the sward height low (around 5 cm) and always remove clippings to avoid enriching the soil (wildflowers prefer low-nutrient conditions).
Always walk through the area first to scare away any wildlife.
Leave an uncut area at the edge for invertebrates and other animals to overwinter, rotating this area every 3-4 years.
Perennial Meadows: You can use a strimmer to cut down perennial meadows. Cut half now and the rest in a month's time. Leave seed heads where they fall for a couple of days before removing clippings for composting.
Avoid Trimming Hedges: Many birds are still nesting in hedges until late August. Avoid trimming until early autumn and always check thoroughly beforehand.
Sow Biennials for Pollinators: Now is a good time to sow biennials like honesty, teasels, and foxgloves, which will flower next year.
Feed Hedgehogs: If hedgehogs in your garden appear thin, put out water and meat-based cat or dog food (chicken flavour). Consider a hedgehog feeding station to prevent other animals from getting the food.
Be Careful When Mowing: Check long grass for amphibians before cutting.
Other Tasks
Tool Maintenance: Clean and sharpen your tools, especially after intensive use.
Compost Bins: Turn your compost bin to encourage decomposition.
Water Butts: Ensure water butts are full, especially if anticipating dry spells.
Planning for Autumn: Start thinking about what you might want to plant or sow in the autumn.
Enjoy your Garden! 🌸🪻🫛
Take time to relax and appreciate the results of your hard work.🌸
Do not forget to visit any open gardens for inspiration.🌸
