What to do in the Garden in July!

This page may contain affiliate links. Learn More.

What to do in the garden in July? The vegetable garden is producing a lot and getting out of hand at the same time, so there are plenty of garden chores to do. July is HOT in Oklahoma! I guess bugs like it HOT because we have tons of them in our preschool garden. Pest control is on the list! To find out what to plant each month, check out this guide.

At Little Sprouts, we are working tirelessly to keep up with the bug infestations. Squash vine borers, squash bugs, cabbage looper worms, aphids, ants, and anything else you can think of are eating our stuff like a hungry band of gobbling gobblers. We are also fighting rabbits and raccoons who swoop in at night and eat stuff that’s almost ready to pick-annoying!

We do not use chemicals on our garden at Little Sprouts so we have to come up with creative ways to manage our pests. We are hand picking large bugs and tossing them in a bucket of soapy water. We are wrapping our hands in duct tape and removing scads of squash bug eggs and nymphs, and we are taking dead vines and plants out of the garden at a frantic pace.

Gardening in Oklahoma in July

The heat of summer has swooped in and is burning up a lot of our plants, so we are watering whenever we can. We water early in the morning to prevent the addition of more fungus in the garden. We had over 27 inches of rain in the garden in May and June, so we have a lot of tomato blight and other fungi.

We are working on removing as much of that as we can as well. After all of that rain fell, the temperatures soared and burned up all the moisture there was available, so now we are super dry. Also, due to the heat, we need to make sure everything is mulched well so it will retain as much moisture as possible and repel as much heat as possible from the roots of our plants. To see how much water we make sure our plants get, click here.  

Every year in late summer, it’s a good time to make notes of what you’ll be doing differently the next year. It’s the perfect time to get out in the garden in the early morning to avoid the intense summer heat. When the hot weather heats up too much, the tomato plants won’t even pollinate. You’ll get flowers, but the heat and humidity are too high for the pollen to be moved, it’s sticky until the weather cools down a little bit.

You also have dry weather which hurts the growing season. So concentrate on checking new growth in young plants for insect damage or diseases. Also, clip off any side shoots on your tomatoes and other plants to keep them ripening and keep the plant healthy.

Make sure your garden beds and fruit trees get plenty of water from some kind of irrigation system. Make sure the water gets to the base of the plant to prevent other problems. If you see any brown spots, powdery mildew, fungal diseases, blossom end rot, spider mites, or other problems, clip off the infected area and dispose of it properly. Don’t put it in your compost or it might spread disease in your garden later.

It’s a lot of hard work to keep the garden up on these warm days, but you’ll get a great harvest if you do. If you need to put in a new plant, the best time is in the evening so the plant gets a chance to settle in without the direct sunlight. And dream of fall harvest and fall vegetables, because the garden is a lot more fun in Oklahoma when it’s not so hot!

Clip off any spent flowers, save any seed heads that form, put extra foliage that you remove that is healthy in the compost pile, and make sure your container plants get water every day and a little protection from the sun. Consider having them up against a building or something else that gives them some shade, especially during the afternoon hours when the sun is so intense. 

What to plant in July

Weeding is in full swing. Grass and other weeds are popping up everywhere. We are picking it as fast as we can. We also use the boiling cooking water to keep the grass from coming in on the edges of the garden. The boiling water kills the grass instantly and helps us keep it under control. If you want to read some more ways of dealing with weeds naturally, click here.  We are harvesting lots of tomatoes, green beans. Also a little okra and a few squashes here and there. This weekend I even found two cucumbers, FINALLY! The rabbits kept nibbling off all of our seedlings, so we planted cucumbers 5 times, and finally had to buy some bigger seedlings at the farmer’s market for the garden in July.

Each year presents unique challenges in the garden. Gardeners have to keep adapting and learning right along with the changing conditions. Some years are super hot, some are not. Some years have more bugs, some have fewer.

We have to keep a watchful eye on our gardens to get the maximum output from them. It’s fun and rewarding, and of course, you get yummy food! We have to work in short stints at this time of year because even first thing after breakfast, its getting super hot and muggy in the garden.

We go out as early as we can and we don’t work out for long. We try to do as much as we can in short stints so no one passes out from the heat. July is time to start thinking about a fall garden.

Summer garden tasks in Zone 7

Here in Oklahoma, it’s far too hot for seeds to germinate outside in the garden in July, so now is the time to start planting seedlings inside and letting them get a little growth on them while the heat of the summer finishes up.

Our wish list of plants includes:

• cauliflower,
• cabbage,
• cilantro,
• kale,
• kohlrabi,
• peas,
• Brussels sprouts,
• broccoli,
• lettuce,
• arugula,
• decorative kale

We hope to get some of each of those started in the next few weeks and get them ready to put out when the weather permits.

I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to cooler temperatures. I am very sensitive to the heat, so I have to be super careful not to get overheated. I love when the weather starts cooling down and it’s easier to enjoy the garden. August is right around the corner.

We have the hottest month to look forward to. Here’s to looking forward to winter again! I used to hate summer, but now I can’t say that because it grows so much goodness for us. It sure is a battle in my mind though. I’m dreaming of snow!

Now might be the time when you are getting a lot of excess in your garden. Check out what to do with it in these articles:

• 16 Ways to Use Excess Cucumbers from the Garden
• 9 Ways to Use Excess Hot Peppers from the Garden
• Using Excess Peaches from the Garden
• Using Excess Green Beans from the Garden
• Using Excess Herbs from the Garden
• Using Excess Greens from the Garden
• 10 Ways to Use Excess Okra from the Garden
• How to Use Excess Sweet Potatoes from the Garden
• What to Do with Excess Garlic from the Garden
• What to do with Excess Onions
• 25 Ways to Use Excess Tomatoes from the Garden
• What to Do with Excess Swiss Chard
• What to Do with Excess Snow Peas

For what to do in the garden each month, click here. 

• What to do in the garden in January and February
• What to do in the garden in March
• What to do in the garden in April
• What to do in the garden in May
• What to do in the garden in June
• What to do in the garden in August
• What to do in the garden in September
• What to do in the garden in October
• What to do in the garden in November
• What to do in the garden in December