What To Plant In July

Today it’s all about what to plant in July. Yes, you still have plenty of time to plant some seeds or seedlings this month. It’s not too late to plant now and then enjoy a fall harvest crop in late summer or early fall before the first frost date. By the way, how is your garden doing with the warm soil conditions? There is something special about a fall garden that is still in bloom and providing veggies you can enjoy all winter.

One good thing about this recent gardening season, most of the country has had ample water from heavy winter snow and plenty of spring and early summer rain storms. We didn’t have to plant those drought-tolerant plants this growing season.

I like to update this post every year with new tips. Normally this week I would be planting more cilantro, carrots, zucchini, green onions, and green beans. You may remember, I’ve moved up north to build a small home so I don’t have a garden this year. I’m sure looking forward to next year when the construction is done and I can lay out my small garden plot.

This week they’re digging the trenches for the gas and electrical lines, it’s a slow process. It took almost a year to get the permits. I hope to be back to gardening in January.

Where I buy my garden seeds: SeedsNow

What To Plant In July

I highly recommend planting flowers near your garden because if you have flowers the bees and other pollinators will come and help pollinate your garden plants. Oh, and don’t forget the butterflies that not only pollinate, but add fun color to the garden. They are magical to me. My favorite flower to bring bees to my garden area are Perennial Salvia plants. Because they are perennials, you cut them back a few times a year and they keep coming back, and so do the bees. These are the seeds: Perennial Salvia

Check here to find your zone.

How I store my garden seeds: 

Plastic Photo Container and Label Maker

Where I buy my garden seeds: SeedsNow

I highly recommend these products for growing your seedlings: CowPots and Organic Seedling Soil, this way you plant your seeds and place the CowPots in your garden when the temperatures are right based on your specific hardiness zone location.

Soil pH Levels

What Does The Term pH Level Mean

You’ve probably heard people say that having the right ph level in your garden soil is important for a successful garden harvest. You may be wondering what the term pH level is when gardening and how to determine what your garden soil’s ph level might be. Each plant prefers a different level of acidity to grow the very best harvest. The level of acidity desired varies between each plant.

Therefore, you can adjust the pH of your soil by adding lime or sulfur to bring it up or down, depending on what your soil needs. You can have your soil tested, possibly by your state extension service, or try and do it yourself with a soil tester. pH Tester Also, some local nurseries provide that service for their customers.

How To Hand Pollinate

All you need is a paintbrush or cotton swab (see below). If you need to hand pollinate because you aren’t seeing any fruit develop on your garden vegetables, here is something you may want to try. You do this by removing the male blossom (male blossoms don’t have fruit behind them).

They produce pollen, leaving the center covered in the pollen to collect with the brush or swab. Use a brush or swab to apply the pollen you collected to the center of the female flower. This works for squash, melons, some herbs, and cucumbers every time.

What to Plant in July by Zone

July is definitely not too late to start a garden. In fact, it can be a perfect time, depending on what zone you live in. It’s interesting how the zones have changed a bit because of the change in temperatures all over the world. Planting times have changed a lot. Here is what you can plant by zone:

Zones 1-3

While July is peak harvesting time for many places, the cooler climate locations can start planting their gardens. If you live in zones 1-3, it is prime time to start planting the following:

• Arugula
• Beans (snap)
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts (Zone 2)
• Cabbage
• Carrots (Zone 2)
• Chinese Cabbage
• Cilantro
• Endive
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce (head and leaf)
• Parsley
• Radish
• Rutabaga
• Spinach

Zones 4-5

Zones 4-5 are found throughout the Northern Midwest states and New England. Here is what you can plant in these zones during July:

• Basil
• Beans (pole and bush)
• Beets
• Brussels sprouts
• Chinese cabbage
• Carrots
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Radishes
• Squash (Summer)
• Turnips

Zones 6-7

In zones 6-7, you have mild temperatures during this time. This means it is the optimal time to grow some of these plants in your garden:

• Carrots
• Radishes
• Spinach

Zones 8-10

When you live in the southern states, it is pretty hot during July. But, there are still a number of items you can plant. Here are just a few:

• Brussels sprouts
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Eggplant
• Okra
• Peas (Southern)
• Peppers
• Squash
• Tomato

Cucumbers

Cucumbers thrive when the weather is hot and they receive a lot of water. Plant them in full sun. If you planted seeds inside, make sure you don’t set your seedlings outside until the weather is in the 70-degree range.

Check the last frost date and wait two weeks before planting the seedlings or seeds outside. You can plant a second set of cucumber seeds in the first week of July and still be able to harvest them before the first fall frost date.

Decide if you want to grow bush cucumbers or cucumbers on the vine. I have always had better luck with bush cucumbers. Bush cucumbers work great in pots or in small gardens.

This is why they do better in my raised gardens. I suggest you stagger when planting the seeds because you will have cucumbers bearing at different times during the growing season, instead of all at the same time producing a huge picking.

Compost and Well-Rotted Manure

Cucumbers like compost and composted well-rotted manure. They need well-fertilized soil. Cucumbers grow fast and don’t depend on a lot of care or work to get them to thrive. When watering, try and keep the leaves dry to keep leaf diseases from forming.

Male blooms show up first and drop off. No worries, within a week or two, a female flower will appear. If not, you may have to do hand pollination. You do this by removing the male blossom, leaving the center covered in the pollen. Use a brush or cotton swab to apply the pollen you collected to the center of the female flower.

Use metal cages for vines, the cucumbers will hang better on those because they will attach easier to the wires when growing. Plant two to three seeds about one inch into the soil, and cover it with the soil.

If the soil is moist and warm you will see sprouts within a few days. Plant the seeds or plants 36-60 inches apart. Bush cucumbers can be planted closer. Cucumbers grow from start to finish in 50-70 days.

pH level for Cucumbers: 6.5 to 7.0

Green Beans

I have always grown bush beans, they have a shorter growing time, from 60-70 days. Just enough time, if you plant the seeds in the first few days of July.

This is one of my favorite vegetables to grow. When our girls were growing up, we grew a lot of green beans. We canned bushels of them in our pressure cooker.

They taste so good when they are freshly picked. I only grew bush beans, but you can plant pole beans if you have a way to support them up off the ground.

Bush beans grow about 2 feet tall, and pole beans grow up to 10 feet tall. Bush beans are ready to pick about 50-55 days after planting. Pole beans take a bit longer, so plan on 55-65 days to harvest.

Please remember, if you can stagger the plantings every 2 weeks you can harvest green beans for weeks rather than all at once in one week.

Green beans are like well-composted rich soil with rotted manure. You plant the seeds 1-2 -inches deep and cover them with soil. Space the seeds in rows about 6-8 inches apart.

Water immediately and keep regularly watering them until they begin to sprout. After they begin sprouting they need 1 to 1.5 inches of water each week. They need full sun, so plan accordingly. They grow best when the air temperatures are between 65 to 85 degrees.

When the green beans are the size of a pencil they are ready. They can toughen up very quickly, so check on them often. You pick them by snapping them off at the vine.

pH level for Green Beans: 6.0 to 6.2

Plant In July-Lettuce Varieties

The nice thing about lettuce is it’s so easy to grow and it sprouts up pretty fast. Just make sure the soil is loosened, loamy, and well-drained. Lettuce loves nitrogen and potassium, so keep your eye on the leaves as they start to grow.

Work in a lot of organic matter or compost. Lettuce matures in 55 to 60 days. Romaine takes longer to mature, and so does head lettuce varieties.

Summer Lettuce Seeds: Summer Bibb

Other heat resistance varieties are Adriana, Coastal Star, Red Cross, and Muir.

Plant the seeds about 1/4 inch deep, tamp them in the soil, and water them. Easy and simple. Read the package to space according to the lettuce you choose. Seeds will not germinate in soils above 80 degrees F.

You can start some seeds indoors and transplant the seedlings into a shady spot when the weather is too hot outside to start the plants directly in the soil. You may want to choose heat-resistant varieties if you live where the temperatures get too hot in the summer.

It’s better to pick early than late in the growing cycle because the leaves become bitter if you wait too long.

pH level for Lettuce: 6.0-7.0

Zucchini or Crookneck

Summer Squash: zucchini, crookneck, and straight-neck (harvested in the summer before they reach maturity). Yes, you can start a second planting if you plant the summer squash seeds by the first week or so of July.

Winter Squash: pumpkins, butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squash (harvested in the autumn months after they reach maturity).

When you plant the seeds, test the soil to make sure it is at least 60 degrees F. before sowing your seeds. They need full sun exposure. They need loamy soil, rich in nutrients. The soil must drain properly.

Plant the seeds in hills (2-3 seeds each) one inch deep. Space them 2-3 feet apart. Thin as needed to produce the strongest plant. Use a cloche to keep the plants warm in case of cool weather.

Mulch the plants to keep them moist and weed-free. When the first blooms appear, fertilize the plants.

Water deeply, at least one inch of water per week. The soil needs to be moist at least 4 inches down. If your blossom ends turn black and rot, then you have blossom rot. It’s usually caused by uneven moisture in the soil. It could also be a calcium problem.

Water must be consistent and frequent for the fruit to produce. If the fruits are misshapen, they may not have received enough water or fertilizer. Check for fruit you can pick daily, they grow faster than you may think.

pH level for Squash: 5.5-6.8

Please Check Out What To Plant Each Month:

• What To Plant In January
• What To Plant In February
• What To Plant In March
• What To Plant In April
• What To Plant In May
• What To Plant In June
• What To Plant In July
• What To Plant In August
• What To Plant In September
• What To Plant In October

Final Word

It’s all about being self-reliant, and gardening is a great way to do it. It doesn’t have to be the biggest garden on the block, it can be on a small deck with pots planted with the seeds of the plants you love to eat.

It can be a shared piece of property or several acres. Whatever we can do to produce some of our own food is one of the best things we can do to teach our families to take care of themselves.

So, if you were wondering what to plant in July, now you know and you can pass this information on to your neighbors. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Gardening AdobeStock_218588157 by Irina Fischer