Top gardening jobs for July

There's never been a better year to enjoy the garden as so many of us are spending most of our time at home.

After the busy spring months, now's the time to put your feet up and enjoy the rewards of all that hard work. It's been dry and warm so far, so plants are thriving and the summer show should be good.

For in-depth advice about what to do in your garden every month, subscribe to Which? Gardening magazine for only £5 - either online or by calling 029 2267 0000.

1. Water pots and baskets

Keep your patio display looking good by watering your pots and baskets every day. In hot or windy weather, they'll dry out faster than normal, so could need watering twice a day.

• To check how dry the compost is, gently push your finger into the surface and then rub it on your hand.
• If it feels moist, you can wait until later before watering, otherwise give your pots a thorough soak.
• Add some liquid feed, such as our Best Buy Phostrogen All Purpose Plant Food.

Find out how to feed and water vegetables

2. Feed borders

Give your plants a boost by feeding them. Spread some general-purpose feed, such as our Best Buy Growmore, among your border plants. Roses benefit from a specialist rose food. If the weather is dry, water in the fertiliser so it can do its work. Keep removing dead flowers from your plants as this will make a big difference too.

Learn what a difference dead heading makes to roses

3. Fill empty beds with more veg

As you lift early veg, such as potatoes, make the most of the free space it creates by sowing and planting more crops. You can either sow direct in the soil or in modular trays of Best Buy compost for sowing seeds for planting once the plants are big enough. Carrots are best sown direct, though - these should go in as soon as possible.

Good plants to sow include:

• beetroots
• dwarf French beans
• lettuce
• chard
• chicory
• Florence fennel
• kohl rabi
• coriander.

Watch our video of more veg-garden jobs for July

4. Cut the grass once a week

It will not only look tidy, but you'll also avoid the grass growing long and tufty, which many mowers struggle to cut.

Try to avoid cutting on a day if it's wet or first thing in the morning when there could be dew as many mowers find wet grass harder to cut and sometimes drop clumps of clippings as they cut.

Go round with a grass trimmer after you cut to trim any patches that the mower missed, such as a washing-line pole or the base of a fence.

See our Best Buy grass trimmers.

5. Stake plants before they fall over

Taller plants are at risk of blowing over in the wind and ruining your display.

1. To keep them upright, hammer a bamboo cane next to them then tie the end of a ball of string to the cane at about half the height of the plant.
2. Pass the string around the plant, looping it around the outer stems of the plant as you go round.
3. Then tie the end of the string to the cane so that the plant is surrounded by the string.

Check out more gardening jobs for July