Judy's Garden Calendar July
Winter is well and truly here, and much of the
garden is quietly waiting for warmer days to
arrive.
Vegies to sow in July – Spinach
Sow spinach seeds every couple of weeks and
you’ll be able to eat these health-promoting
greens right through until late spring. Harvest
by picking leaves from the outside of the clump
as soon as they reach the size you prefer.
Yates Winter Queen Spinach develops
relatively large leaves that retain a good
texture. Sauté spinach lightly; the leaves will
turn to mush if they’re cooked too long.
Flowers to sow in July
Yates English Daisies (Bellis perennis) produce
single and semi-double flowers in soft shades
of pink, maroon and white. These low-growing
clumps look at their best as an edging along a
border or at the front of a garden bed.
Removing spent flowers will encourage more
blooms and prevent self-seeding.
Feed in July
Herbs are just about to take off with new growth
so this is a good time to sprinkle some blood
and bone around them. Blood and bone
releases relatively slowly so it will still be
working as the weather warms. Yates
Professional Blood & Bone is the genuine
article; it contains at least 90% meat meal.
Prune in July
July is arguably the most important month of
the year for pruning. Deciduous fruit trees that
weren’t pruned after harvest should be cut back
now. Thin crowded growth and shorten long
shoots. Prune grapes and kiwifruit back to
short, fruiting laterals coming off main stems.
Prune long-blooming roses back by half to two-
thirds, removing the oldest and weakest shoots.
Pest watch
Scale infestations can be treated this month
with the help of a white oil spray. But white
louse scale, often found on the trunks and
branches of citrus, can be particularly difficult to
eradicate. Control with a spray of Yates Lime
Sulphur. It can also be helpful to use an old
toothbrush to scrub and remove this pest from
the stems and branches. Lime sulphur will also
clean up scales, mites and other pests on many
deciduous plants like roses. It can be sprayed
at winter strength while the plants are bare of
leaves.
Plant of the month – Camellias
Camellias, especially the shade-
loving japonicas with their solid build and
matching fat flowers, are at their peak in July.
They don’t necessarily have to be pruned but
any trimming that’s required – or desired –
should be done immediately after flowering has
finished. Follow up with a feed of Yates
Dynamic Lifter Advanced for Camellias,
Azaleas and Rhododendrons.
July job file
Lift clumping plants (such as daylilies). Break
up clumps and re-plant sections into soil that’s
been enriched with compost and Dynamic Lifter
pellets. Plant out or transplant deciduous
plants.
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