Stay on top of summer gardening tasks and maintenance with this guide.
The mulch needs refreshing to stop the weeds from taking over.
After the first flush, theflowers need to be deadheadedto keep the color coming.
Credit: Blaine Moats
The mulch blankets the ground, shielding the soil from the sun and keeping it cooler.
That puts less stress on plant roots and also slows moisture loss due to evaporation.
There’s not a singlebest key in of mulch.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Anything made from organic mattershredded wood, pine straw, a mix of grass clippings and shredded leaveswill work.
As it decomposes, the mulch will help improve soil structure and add nutrients.
Pull Up Weeds
Manytypes of weedsthrive in summer heat and can quickly go from tiny to gigantic.
Credit: Matthew Benson
Many weeds also encourage insect pests and diseases to move in.
Weeds are easiest to pullwhen they’re young and small; moist soil makes this task even easier.
Another reason to tackle them while they’re young: You want to stop weeds from producing seeds.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
That’s a lot of future weeding you could avoid.
Add Color with Summer Annuals
Once summer heat arrives, many spring-blooming annualspansy, snapdragon, osteospermumwill fade.
These summer-friendly annuals grow quickly in warm temperatures and will soon provide a beautiful burst of color.
Credit: Helen Norman
Once temperatures rise, they grow quickly.
you’re able to do so up to the Fourth of July.
Pinching the tops of the plant typically results in more compact, sturdy growth.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Other perennials that you could pinch back in May and June:
6.
Calleddeadheading, this process prevents plants from producing seeds, so they put more energy into making beautiful blossoms.
For plants that self-seed, deadheading cuts back on future efforts, too.
Deadheading will prevent an unwanted takeover.
Some of the most common summer problems to watch for include:
8.
Most common garden plants prefer an average of 1 inch of water a week.
Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses are great for this job.
(Insects are attracted to overripe vegetables that fall off the plant and begin to rot.)
Start a Fall Vegetable Garden
Vegetables fall into two basic categories: cool-season and warm-season.
The warm-season varietiestomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, summer squashproduce in the summertime.
Once temperatures cool, these plants will fade.
That way, you’re able to enjoy fresh, delicious harvests come autumn.
