July - High Summer

• The long days and warmth of June will bring on your plants and all the unwanted weeds too, so keep on top of them by regular hoeing on dry days

• Continue to stake, tie, or support plants to keep them from sprawling or being damaged in the wind

• Extend the flower show in your garden with regular dead-heading

• Feed annual and perennials, and all plants growing in tubs or containers fortnightly with a high potash/potassium (K) liquid fertiliser

• Also use high-potassium fertiliser weekly on tomatoes and cucumbers growing in pots or growbags

• Remove the lower leaves of tomato plants to allow more light to reach the ripening trusses

• Keep all pots, containers, and hanging baskets well-watered and do not get the compost dry out completely

• Sow seeds of biennials such as wallflowers, foxgloves, and sweet rocket, and perennials such as primulas, pansies and violas

• In the vegetable garden, continue to succession sow lettuce, carrots, beetroot and radishes

• Pick fruit and vegetables regularly - this is especially true for beans and peas that will reduce or stop flowering as mature pods ripen, and for courgettes that will become marrows if left too long

• Garlic should be ready to harvest towards the end of July, but harvest, dry, and store the bulbs before the tops are completely dead as they can be difficult to find in the soil, and the cloves will split in the bulbs

• Lawns in general should be cut with mower blades set high if the weather is hot and dry

• Above all else, don’t forget to just sit back and really enjoy your garden