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Learn—month by month—the necessary gardening activities for lawns and shrubs, annuals and perennials, fruit and nut trees, and bulbs, roots, and tubers. Included is a timeline for activities such as soil testing, planting, pruning, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, indoor plantings—from cauliflower to okra, from camellias to dahlias to heirloom roses.

Fruits and Nuts

  • Protect figs and other ripening fruit from birds.

Shrubs

  • Continue to root shrub cuttings until late in the month and mulch to keep soil moist.
  • Remove faded blooms promptly from crape myrtle and other summer-blooming plants.

Lawns

  • Apply 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to all warm-season lawn types: bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass.
  • Mow often (5 to 10 days) to remove just 1/3 the grass height at each mowing.
  • Water lawns as needed (grayish color or curling leaf blades).

Roses

  • Keep roses healthy and actively growing.
  • Apply fertilizer.
  • Wash off foliage to prevent burning if any fertilizer falls on plants.

Annuals and Perennials

  • Water as needed to keep plants active.
  • Dead head or cut back for later summer blooms.

Bulbs

  • Plant iris and spider lilies late this month.

Miscellaneous

  • Keeping flowers, shrubs, trees, and lawns healthy is the major task this month.
  • Observe closely for insects and diseases.
  • Water as plants indicate need.

WatermelonsVegetable Seeds

  • Whole state: Plant pumpkins for fall harvest. Continue plantings of beans, southern peas, squash, and cucumber.
  • North: Plant cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower. Wait until late July to plant beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, and kohlrabi, or start them in flats for transplant later.
  • South and Central: Start seeds in flats for August and September transplants, inckuding beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard, radishes, and spinach.

Vegetable Transplants

  • Whole state: Plant a second season of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant for fall harvest.
  • North: Plant certified seed potatoes for Irish and red- skinned varieties in late July.

Questions?

Call the Master Gardener Helpline at (877) 252-4769. A Master Gardener Extension volunteer is waiting to answer your call.

 

See other months from Alabama Gardener’s Calendar at www.aces.edu.

 


Peer ReviewKerry Smith, Extension Associate, Horticulture, Frances Sledge, Horticulture Intern Auburn University. Originally prepared by Dave Williams, former Extension Horticulturist, and Ron Shumack, former Extension Horticulturist.

Reviewed July 2022, Alabama Gardener’s Calendar – July, ANR-2619

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