Ask an Expert – How Does Your Garden Grow? Tips for July

It can be a challenge to keep gardens growing as temperatures heat up, so Utah State University Extension provides a Gardener’s Almanac to help. The Almanac includes links to tips and additional information.

• Start enjoying the tomato harvest.
• Fertilize potatoes with nitrogen in early July.
• Harvest summer squash and zucchini while they are still small and tender.
• Deep water established trees and shrubs about once a month during the heat of summer.
• Deadhead (cut off) spent blossoms of perennial and annual flowers.
• Divide crowded iris or daylilies once they have finished blooming.
• Visit alpine areas for wildflower displays.
• Remove water sprouts (vertical shoots in the canopy) on fruit trees to discourage regrowth.
• Renovate perennial strawberry beds by tearing out old crowns (mother plants) and applying fertilizer to stimulate new runners.
• Remember that turfgrass only needs 1½ to 2 inches of water per week. Learn about irrigation needs in your area.

Pests and Problems:

• Check under leaves of pumpkins, melons, and squash plants for squash bugs.
• Watch for mosaic virus in vine crops, such as cucumbers and watermelons, and remove infected plants to reduce the virus from spreading.
• Watch for holes from tobacco budworm feeding in the leaves of petunias, nicotiana, geraniums, and other annual flowers.
• Protect black locust trees (not honey locust) with a registered chemical to prevent locust borer damage.
• Control codling moth in apples and pears to reduce wormy fruit. For specific timing, see our Utah Pests Advisories.
• Control walnut husk fly in walnuts, peaches, and apricots, typically around August 1st and 15th.
• Learn how to identify a hobo spider.
• Control European paper wasps with traps this time of year.
• Monitor for damaging turfgrass insects.
• To see a video of the July Gardener’s Almanac tips, click here. 
• Consider taking an online gardening course. Courses cover topics such as container vegetable gardening, creating the perfect soil, planting trees, and controlling pests. Courses are geared to both beginning and professional gardeners. 
• Explore more gardening tips on Extension’s yard and garden website.