Judy's Garden Calendar July
Cold nights and clear days make it a pleasure to be out in the July garden.
Vegies to sow in July
Sow winter favourites like cabbages, cauliflowers, spinach and peas. If you’re in a really cold area, start these off in pots filled with Yates Seed Raising Mix and keep them in a protected spot. The seedlings will then be ready to plant outdoors as it starts to warms up. Don’t forget, too, that this is the month to look out for packaged vegies like bulbing shallots, asparagus and garlic.
Flowers to sow in July – Alyssum
Alyssum tends to be taken for granted because it grows so easily and, with its tiny flowers, has a subtle – rather than showy – presence in the garden. But it shouldn’t be overlooked; it’s a reliable performer that can bloom for much of the year. Alyssum’s ideal for adding touches of colour contrast to pots and garden beds. Yates seed range includes the traditional favourite white alyssum Carpet of Snow, or Cameo Mixture with pink, white, lilac and cream flowers.
Feed in July
While it’s a bit early to feed most trees and shrubs, flower and vegetable seedlings should be hurried along with regular fortnightly applications of Thrive All Purpose Soluble (for leafy plants) or Thrive Flower & Fruit for productive plants.
Prune in July
When it comes to July pruning, it’s hard to avoid mentioning roses: July’s the prime month for rose pruning. Don’t prune the rose varieties that only flower in spring, however, as you’ll cut off their coming flower display. And don’t be too heavy handed with climbers, either, as you’ll force them into a growth cycle that will delay their spring/summer blooms. That all-important spray with Yates Lime Sulfur after pruning will do a great job of cleaning up pests and diseases.
July pest watch
Winter dormancy provides an annual opportunity for clean-up sprays on deciduous plants. For example, it’s a good idea to give most bare-of-leaves fruit trees and ornamentals a mid-winter spray with Yates White Oil. This gets rid of scale insects, mites, aphids and mealybugs that are hiding in cracks in the bark. The spray will be most effective if applied immediately after pruning, only because it’s easier to get good coverage at that time. Yates Lime Sulfur does a similar clean-up job, as well as treating the hard-to-kill white louse scale on citrus
July job file
Dig manure or compost into empty garden beds so that there’s time for the soil to get itself into good condition before spring planting.
Plant of the month – Kale
Kale is a form of cabbage. Some kales (e.g. Cavallo Nero or Tuscan kale) are edible and are grown for their flavour-filled leaves. But other kales are ornamentals that have been bred for their luminous leaf colours. These colours are always more intense in colder conditions.
