Summer Gardening Checklist & Tips to Beat the Heat

Summer is coming, and that means it’s time to talk about your garden. Summer, with its extreme heat, comes with a host of gardening challenges. That’s why it is essential to understand how to take care of your garden during the summer and which types of plants are best for planting during the summer.

Summer requires a shift in focus on maintaining your garden to withstand heat and a lack of rainfall instead of only focusing on planting new things. However, summer also means that it’s time to start preparing for fall, which involves planting fall vegetables now. This summer gardening checklist will go over some things to look out for during the hot summer months.

Weeds

We’ll begin our summer garden checklist by talking about weeds. Weeds commonly appear during the summer. Summer weeds are there all year round, but they lie dormant and hidden under the ground to ensure their survival during the winter. Then, as the soil gets warm and conditions are right for them, they sprout and spread.

It can be difficult to control weeds, but you need to. Weeds harm gardens in several ways. First, they compete with your plants and vegetables for much-needed air, moisture, and nutrients. When you fertilize your garden or water it, weeds often soak up the moisture and consume the nutrients quickly before other plants can benefit.

Not only that, but weeds spread and take up space. Weeds are invasive and take away room from healthy plants. They also attract pests and diseases, as they weaken your other plants and grasses by stealing nutrients needed to ward off those diseases.

Controlling weeds can be difficult, but it is not impossible. It is crucial to remove them all while they are young to prevent them from sprouting and spreading. Killing them at the root is the best way to ensure they don’t come back.

Mulch

The next thing on our summer gardening checklist is mulch. Applying mulch is essential for several reasons. First of all, it helps your garden retain moisture, which is important when rainfall is not abundant. It keeps your plants cool, which is also critical during the hot summer. Mulch can also help control weeds and provide slow-releasing nutrients to your plants.

However, it is necessary to apply mulch correctly. Make sure to remove weeds before applying mulch so the mulch can control weed regrowth. Choose organic mulch and make sure to apply enough. Two to four inches is generally best, but you can use this mulch calculator to figure out exactly how much mulch to use.

Bugs and Pests

There are quite a few pests that attack gardens during the summer. These pests not only ruin your plants aesthetically but steal important nutrients. They can cause your plants and leaves to turn brown or yellow or infest your vegetables to the point that they become inedible.

Here are some of the most common garden pests to look out for:

• Aphids: Aphids are pear-shaped, come in all colors and different species, and are attracted to many types of plants, especially roses.
• Beetles: There are various types of beetles, like the asparagus beetle, which feeds on asparagus plants. The Mexican bean beetle can infest soybeans and other beans.
• Caterpillars: Yes, caterpillars are pests. They eat leaves and tunnel into some fruits.
• Maggots: Different types of maggots, like the cabbage maggot, infest certain plants.
• Scales: Scales are tiny insects that attack various plants, fruits, and vegetables.

So, how can you get rid of these pests and ensure they don’t harm your garden? Here are some tips:

• Keep your plants and soil healthy, so they can ward off insects.
• Choose plants that are less prone to infestation.
• Cover plants to prevent beetles and other pests from getting to them.
• Use interplanting to make it difficult for pests to find their preferred host plants.
• Attract beneficial insects that feed on other pests.

Plan for Fall

As mentioned, summer garden planning isn’t just about preparing your garden for summer and maintaining your garden during peak heat. Another thing to keep in mind for your summer gardening checklist is preparing for the upcoming autumn season. If you have space, you can start cold-season vegetables indoors in the late summer and then transplant the seedlings into the garden when the time is right. These include kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and some others.

Summer Gardening Tips

Finally, let’s talk about some important summer garden tips to keep in mind when gardening in the summer season. Here are some of the main things to remember:

• Combat weeds, as they’ll ruin your garden. Keep plucking weeds as soon as you see them; don’t give them time to spread.
• Fight pests using the tips mentioned above.
• Make sure your plants are getting enough water. Water them at least a few times a week with plenty of water.
• Water your garden in the early morning when it will be the most beneficial. If you water your plants at night, they’ll be more susceptible to fungus growth.
• Use mulch to help your plants retain water and moisture.
• Feed your plants as needed. Use the right fertilizer for the plants you are growing.
• Keep track of the weather so you can ensure your plants are getting the water and care they need.
• Trim or prune plants and herbs when their edges are dying or not looking well.
• Don’t be afraid to harvest your vegetables or herbs and enjoy them. Some grow better when you harvest them more often.
• Provide shade for your plants and vegetables, as needed, so they don’t get dehydrated in the sun.
• Ensure you drink plenty of water and wear a hat and use sunscreen to protect yourself from dehydration and sun damage.

People who value a farm-to-table lifestyle, like the residents of Harvest by Hillwood, know how satisfying it is to grow and eat your own produce. Harvest homeowners can work in the community garden and have access to their own private garden plot. Best of all, they can get gardening advice and help from Harvest’s on-site professional, Farmer Ross! If Harvest sounds like the kind of place where you can put down roots, take a virtual tour or contact us for more information.