Gardening jobs for July

Get a bumper vegetable harvest

Now's the time to reap of lot of what you've sown, but remember there's still time to plant extra crops. Keep an eye on the watering and your fingers crossed for sunny summer days.

• Catch veg while it's at its peak and harvest it regularly rather than leaving it to go woody or bitter-tasting. Remember that if you have more of something than you want to eat or store, it's just as useful to recycle it by adding it to the compost heap. 
• Limit tomato growth by pinching out the growing tip of your cordon tomato plant when it reaches the roof of the greenhouse. Pinch out the side-shoots as they develop.

Veg jobs for July

From radishes to runner beans, here's the best vegetables to sow outdoors in July. 

For more information watch our video guide to veg jobs for July.

Feed your lawn

For many of us the lawn is the centrepiece to the garden that sets off everything else. 

• As long as there is no drought, it's worth feeding the lawn regularly - try our Best Buy lawn feed.
• During dry weather, raise the blades on your lawn mower to allow the grass to grow a little bit longer. This will keep it greener and help it retain moisture.
• Don't panic if your grass does turn brown as it will soon green up again when the rain returns.

Encourage late-summer flowers

Now we're in July, the garden is just past its peak.

• Cut back early flowering perennials to the ground and they will send up fresh leaves and maybe even the bonus of some extra late-summer flowers. 
• Give them a boost after pruning with a good soak of water and some tomato feed.
• Exploit plants' desperate need to set seed by removing blooms as they fade. This will encourage them to produce more flowers to replace them. 
• Remember that plants in containers are dependent on you for their water as they'll get little benefit from any rain. Give them a good soak at least once a day in sunny weather.

Keep your pond in top condition

Ponds and other water features also need some care in July and August to keep them healthy and looking good.

• Look out for any yellowing leaves If they are left on water lilies and other water plants, remove them promptly. Allowing them to fall off and rot in the water will decrease water quality.
• Remove blanket weed This will let oxygen into your pond. Use a net or rake and remember to give aquatic life a chance to get back to the water by piling the weed next to the pond for a day.
• Top up water levels. Water can evaporate rapidly from water features and ponds in the height of summer, so top them up if the water level drops significantly. Rainwater from a water butt is best – chemicals in tap water can affect the nutrient balance in the pond. 
• Hosepipe ban. If your area is under a hosepipe ban, you can still use it to top up your pond if you have fish.
• Clear filters. Remember to clean any filters and pumps.