What to do in the garden in July

[Jason]

It might be a little cold and wet outside, but there's still jobs to do around the garden that will help it to thrive when the warmer weather arrives.

Here's some guidance from the Bunnings team about what to do in the garden in July.

What to plant

July is when you want to be mulching, pruning, weeding, and planting.

If you live in the tropics, there’s a huge selection of plants you can get into the ground. Everything from beans, sweet corn, cabbage, rocket, silverbeet, garlic, ginger, mint, rockmelon and tomatoes. You can also take frangipani cuttings, dry them for a week and plant them. It’s also a good time to plant figs, pistachios, bare-rooted roses and vines.

In sub-tropical areas beetroot, carrots, garlic, lettuce, peas, rocket, snow peas and spring onions are some of the things you can plant now.

In temperate climates, there’s not much going on in the vegie patch. But you can plant beetroot, lettuce, onion, peas, radish, snow peas and strawberries. Many ornamental and fruit trees are ready to plant now including figs, pistachios, bare-rooted roses and vines.

In colder regions, there’s also not much to plant but you can still go with mustard greens, onions, radish and spinach.

What to pick

July is when winter fruit and vegetables are at their best. It’s time to pick apples, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges, quinces and rhubarb. On the vegie and herb front, there’s broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, garlic, ginger, leeks, potatoes, pumpkin and fennel.

What to do

After you have finished planting your winter fruit, vegies and herbs, it’s time to fertilise. Use a seaweed or a low environmental impact liquid fertiliser, to help your plants grow.

Winter is also a good time to prune but before you do, some simple tool maintenance will make the job easier. Head to the shed and clean, sharpen and oil your garden tools. They’ll work better, last longer and it will even help to prevent the spread of disease.

Once your tools are sharp, deciduous fruit trees love a good prune now, but leave your apricot tree alone. In temperate areas, you can also prune your roses.

After the winter rains, weeds are easy to pull out. So spend a little time every day walking around your garden and getting rid of them.

After weeding is a good time to add some mulch, especially if the winter rains have washed it away. Choose a mulch that will improve your soil as it breaks down.

Green manure or cover crops are good to grow in dormant vegie patches now. They include fava beans, field peas or mung beans. These crops reduce soil erosion and improve soil quality. Remember to chop and drop them before they flower.

Feel free to let us know what you're up to in the garden at the moment by replying below or hitting the Start a discussion button.

[KatieC]

Your chickens will be absolutely in heaven! I can't wait to see your garden come spring @mich1972.

Katie 

[trish22]

HI Jason 

Even though your garden posts for july are a few years old they are still totally relevant for this time of year.  We are just getting started on the garden at our place as we have been renovating for the past year - so no love to the garden.   We still have a long way to go but are getting there.   I have pruned the bamboo I put in at the front of the house as I am wanting a bamboo garden at the front - Ive planted lots of different varieties and done a sleeper border to keep the garden in.  I've also pruned back things in the vege garden and harvested my tumeric.  Pruned the chilli bushes back to the main stem and planted - cherry tomato's and swiss chard.  My herbs are going well and have also been pruned back and neatened up. 

I am working with natural fertilizers and have been soaking cow and horse manure in buckets of water and then pouring off the water - its a great fertilizer and the plants love it.  I'm also made a huge compost bin down the back yard. Well thanks for the july tips - busy time in the garden here in North Qld. Compost binBamboo out the front

[EricL]

Hello @trish22 

Thank you so much for sharing your garden activities this July. I'm a big believer in bamboo fencing and if you manage to propagate it across your fence line, you'll have a beautiful green wall swaying in the wind.

Eric

[trish22]

Hi Eric 

yes I believe it will be beautiful. I have chosen a number of really attractive species to give both colour and variety. I have planted a ghost bamboo, two black bamboos, golden, Buddha’s belly, a slender weavers bamboo, some oldhahmi, a sacred Bali and a couple of others. I won’t need to wait too long - they started off as tiny ones and have grown to over 6 metres in some cases. They are so satisfying to watch and pretty much just need water. 
have you got any fertilising tips ?? I usually just use cow manure to stay away from chemicals but are there any good fertilisers for these massive grasses?? 

[EricL]

Hi @trish22 

I'm sure you're aware that bamboo is a hardy plant and even if you don't give it fertilizer will continue to grow. The cow manure is perfect if you only wish to use natural fertilizer. The good news is that any fertiliser that is good for lawns, grasses, palms, etc will be good for bamboo as well. 

A good example is Scotts Lawn Builder 4kg All Purpose Slow Release Lawn Fertiliser. It has an extra element of iron which is beneficial to bamboos. Just remember to trim regularly to train the bamboo into shape and prevent overgrowth.  

I look forward to seeing your next garden update in spring.

Eric