July in the Garden
Long sunny days and gardens made for relaxing 🌻
July is one of the warmest and most rewarding months in the garden. Flowers are at their best, vegetables are ready to pick, and the scent of herbs fills the air. Much of June’s advice still applies — watering, feeding, and weeding — but there are plenty of new seasonal tasks to keep your garden healthy and productive through the height of summer.
Top Jobs for July
- Harvest your vegetables – Many crops will now be ready, including carrots, peas, potatoes, beetroot, lettuce, and other salad greens. Pick radishes as soon as they’re ripe, as they spoil quickly in warm weather.
- Pick courgettes and marrows regularly – Frequent harvesting encourages plants to keep producing new fruit all summer.
- Harvest and preserve herbs – Dry or freeze your herbs for later use, and pinch off flower buds to encourage bushier, more productive growth.
- Pinch out tomato sideshoots – Removing side stems focuses the plant’s energy on developing fruit. Clearing some leaves around fruit clusters helps improve airflow and reduce disease.
- Thin out fruit trees – Remove smaller or damaged fruit so the healthiest can ripen fully.
- Thin out crowded seedlings – Give strong plants room to grow for a better yield.
- Sow for late crops – You can still sow beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, spinach, and kale directly into the soil this month.
- Continue earthing up potatoes – Protect tubers from light to prevent them from turning green.
- Weed regularly – Hoe between vegetable rows to stop weeds from stealing nutrients and moisture.
- Finish harvesting rhubarb – Stop pulling stems by the end of the month to let the plant regain strength for next year’s crop.
Vegetable Seeds to Sow in July
There’s still time to sow quick-growing and late-season vegetables:
Radish, kale, rocket, spinach, beetroot, carrots, lettuce, and cabbage.
Harvests will range from 25 days for rocket to 180 days for winter cabbage.
General Garden Care
July often brings the hottest weather of the year, making it the perfect time to sit back and enjoy your garden’s rewards. Keep plants looking their best by deadheading faded blooms, watering deeply and wisely, and mulching to retain moisture. Use grey water where possible, and hoe regularly to keep fast-growing weeds under control.
Top 10 Jobs This Month
- Check clematis for signs of wilt.
- Care for houseplants if you’re heading on holiday.
- Water tubs and new plants if dry, but be water-wise.
- Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials.
- Pick courgettes before they grow into marrows.
- Treat apple scab if spotted on fruit or leaves.
- Clear algae and blanket weed from ponds, and keep them topped up.
- Order catalogues for next spring’s bulbs.
- Give your lawn a quick-acting summer feed if it hasn’t had one.
- Harvest apricots, peaches, and nectarines when ripe.
What’s in Stock This Month 🌿
At Newquay Garden Centre, July is bursting with summer colour and fresh produce! You’ll find:
- Courgette, lettuce, and salad plants for succession sowing
- Herb plants for harvesting or drying
- Tomato feed, compost, and mulch for healthy growth
- Summer-flowering perennials and bedding plants in full bloom
- Pond treatments, garden tools, and lawn care essentials
- Outdoor pots, planters, and garden décor to make the most of sunny days
Whether you’re harvesting your first tomatoes or filling your garden with vibrant flowers, our team is here to help you keep everything thriving through the height of summer.
Cornwall Gardening Tip
Cornwall’s long, warm summers are perfect for fruit and veg, but our sea breezes and strong sun can dry soil quickly. Water early morning or late evening to reduce evaporation, and group pots together to create a microclimate that conserves moisture. If you’re gardening near the coast, wind-tolerant plants such as lavender, rosemary, and echinacea will thrive.
