July Gardening Guide

In the vegetable garden

Plant

Dig in Tui Compost and Tui Sheep Pellets before planting to replenish nutrients used by previous crops.

This month you can plant the following: beetroot, bok choi, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cavolo nero, coriander, garlic, kale, mesclun, mizuna, onions, shallots, parsley, peas, rocket, rosemary, sage, silverbeet, spinach, thyme.

For more veges to plant in your region, check out our planting poster and calendar here.

Harvest

Beetroot, bok choi, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, cavolo nero, kale, lettuce, leeks, mesclun, mizuna, parsnip, peas, radish, rocket, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, yams.

Special attention

• Asparagus - lift and divide overcrowded asparagus beds and plant out new crowns.
• Broad beans - stake or support plants as they grow.
• Potatoes - now is the time to start sprouting new season seed potatoes ready for planting in August or September. Always choose certified seed potatoes, as these are specifically selected to thrive in the home garden and guaranteed to be free of viruses and pests that affect potatoes. Prepare potato beds ready for planting by digging over the soil to a depth of 30cm. Next, add plenty of compost or Tui Sheep Pellets. Blend in Tui Potato Food to soil prior to planting.
• Herbs - hardy herbs such as thyme, rosemary and bay tree can be planted in winter. Plant in Tui Herb Mix.

In the fruit garden

• All deciduous fruit trees can be planted this month (through to September) while the plants are still dormant. The widest selection will be available in garden stores now. When planting remember fruit trees require a position in full sun. Shelter from strong prevailing winds is preferable.
• It's strawberry planting time, to ensure a good strawberry crop the plants need to have a period of winter chilling. The cold temperature helps stimulate the flower buds which produce the fruit. Prepare beds by working soil over with a fork, blend in sheep pellets, a layer of Tui Strawberry Mix and Tui Strawberry Food prior to planting.
• Plant other berries including raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries, boysenberries, and blackberries.
• Lemons, limes, mandarins, grapefruit, and oranges are all ripening and ready for harvest in the warmest of areas.
• Before pruning begins in earnest, sharpen secateurs, saws and loppers. Prune apples, pears and apricots. Avoid pruning peaches, plums and nectarines to prevent the spread of disease.
• In frost prone areas or for sensitive plants, protect tender fruit trees with frost cloth.
• Spray deciduous fruits trees with a winter clean up spray to remove any lingering pests and diseases.

In the flower garden

• Plant up pots, containers and hanging baskets with potted colour to brighten up the garden.
• Pick witch hazel, camellias, viburnum, wallflowers, winter roses, hellebores, dianthus, leucadendrons, violets, Daphne, snapdragons, flowering kale, japonica.
• Plant roses, Daphne, lily of the valley, forget-me-nots, calendula, polyanthus, flowering kale, poppies, primula, violas, pansies, snapdragons, sweet William, alyssum, deciduous flowering shrubs.
• Sow poppies, lupins, sweet peas, wildflowers, calendula. In warm areas petunias and impatiens can be sown too.
• Blend in a layer of Tui Sheep Pellets to spring flower beds and allow to settle in for a month or so prior to planting.
• Apply Tui Bulb Food to existing bulbs.
• It's time to prune your roses. Get our rose pruning guide here >

Click here for more garden tips