For a good harvest: 5 things to do in the garden in July

Our expert, candidate of agricultural sciences, agricultural technician Lyudmila Starostina, tells about what is important for summer residents on the site.

In the warmest month of the year, the supply of water to plants comes first, especially cucumbers and cabbage need it. Watering is best done in the evening or early morning. Onions and garlic, on the other hand, require limited watering. And a week before harvesting (it falls in mid-July), water procedures must be stopped altogether: the bulbs will ripen better and will be stored longer. If it rains, cover the onions and garlic with plastic wrap. In the second half of July, the latter is already ready for harvesting.

If some of the vacated beds are “tired”, the yield on them has decreased or the plants are sick, it makes sense to give the land a rest and sow green manure, a mixture of plants to restore soil fertility, in such areas. The seeds can be bought at the supermarket, in the fertilizer department. They will not only protect the beds from overgrowing with weeds, but also loosen the soil and increase its fertility. Plots with green fertilizer plantings leave before winter, and in the spring they are dug up without weeding.

In July, you can start breeding your favorite plants. Cut off cuttings 20-25 cm long, remove all leaves except 3-4 at the top, and place them in water with a dissolved root stimulant. You can close the cuttings on top with a transparent bag. This will reduce evaporation. After 2-3 weeks, the roots will appear. Plant the cuttings at an angle, deepening 2 cm into the soil. Water abundantly and cover with a plastic bottle cap. If it’s hot, the seedlings must be shaded. Young plants will have time to grow up until autumn and get stronger.

The strawberry ends fruiting, grows mustache, rosettes and roots. Flower buds are formed. Therefore, it is important to fertilize with fertilizers, but they should not contain nitrogen so that the strawberries do not start growing. Do not forget to water abundantly before feeding. The strongest mustache from good bushes must be planted separately, they will enter the fruiting stage only after a year. If strawberries have been growing in the garden for 3-4 years, it is time to rejuvenate them, otherwise the berries will become small. All the bushes must be dug up, divided with a sharp knife, powdered with ash and planted in another place. And on this bed in the next 3 years, other vegetables are grown, for example, onions and garlic.