Key takeaways
- Water beds deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day
- Deadhead roses, sweet peas, dahlias and bedding every few days to keep flowers coming
- Cut wisteria's long summer side-shoots back to five or six leaves
- Feed tomatoes and pots weekly with a high-potash feed once the first fruits set
- Pick courgettes, beans and peas young and often, or plants slow down
- Set up holiday watering before you go, not on the morning you leave
July is when the garden is at its fullest, and also its thirstiest. The four jobs that matter most are watering, deadheading, feeding and picking. Keep on top of those and borders stay colourful and crops keep coming through August.
This is your July checklist, with what to do and when. If you’re catching up from last month, our June garden jobs list covers early summer. For the whole season on one page, see the summer gardening checklist.
Which garden jobs matter most in July?
Watering, deadheading, feeding and picking. Heat speeds up flowering, fruiting and wilting all at once, so a week off shows quickly. Here’s the month at a glance.
| Garden area | Key July job | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Borders | Deadhead, water deeply in dry spells | Every few days |
| Veg patch | Pick, water, sow for autumn | Pick every 2-3 days |
| Pots and baskets | Water and feed | Water daily in heat, feed weekly |
| Lawn | Raise the mower, leave clippings in dry weather | Weekly or less |
| Greenhouse | Open vents, shade, damp down the floor | Daily in hot weather |
| Tomatoes | Feed, pinch out sideshoots, check for blight | Twice a week |
Do the heavy jobs in the cool of the morning or evening. The middle of a hot July day is for sitting in the shade.
How should you water the garden in July heat?
Water deeply once or twice a week, not a little every day. Light daily splashes keep roots near the surface, where they bake. A good soak sends them down to cooler, damper soil.
Aim the water at the base of the plant, not over the leaves. Early morning is best, with evening a close second. Less water is lost in the cool, and dry leaves are less prone to disease.
Pots and hanging baskets are different. They dry out fast and often need water every day in hot spells, sometimes twice. New plants and fresh sowings also need regular watering until their roots are settled. Established shrubs and an established lawn can cope with far less.
Watering at the base in the evening means less is lost to the sun and the leaves stay dry overnight.
What if there’s a hosepipe ban?
You can still water with a watering can, and many bans allow you to use water from a water butt. Put the water you have where it matters most: pots, new plants, fresh sowings and fruiting crops. Mulch beds after rain to keep the moisture in. Our guide to gardening in a hosepipe ban explains what’s usually allowed and how to make the water go further.
How do you deadhead flowers in July?
Deadhead repeat-flowering plants every few days. Removing faded flowers stops the plant putting energy into seed, so it keeps making more blooms. Snip or pinch just above the next leaf or bud.
- Sweet peas: pick every few days, before seed pods form. Once they set pods, flowering slows right down
- Roses: cut faded flowers off just below the head on repeat-flowering types
- Dahlias: spent heads are pointed and cone-shaped, while new buds are round. Cut off the cones
- Bedding plants: pinch off faded heads of petunias, marigolds and similar each week
- Lupins and delphiniums: cut spent spikes down for a smaller second flush
For more on the different flower types, see our guide on how to deadhead flowers.
Picking sweet peas every few days is the easiest deadheading there is. The more you pick, the more you get.
Which plants need summer pruning in July?
Wisteria, lavender and trained fruit trees all get a summer trim around now. Each needs a different cut.
Wisteria puts out long, whippy green shoots after flowering. In July or August, cut these back to five or six leaves from the main stems. It keeps the plant tidy and helps it form flower buds for next year. Our guide to wisteria after flowering shows where to cut.
Lavender gets a light trim as soon as the flowers fade, usually late July or August. Take off the flower stems and a little of the leafy growth. Never cut into bare, brown wood, as it rarely shoots again.
Trained apples and pears, such as cordons and espaliers, get their summer prune from late July. Shorten this year’s leafy side-shoots to build fruiting spurs.
Cut a few stems for drying while they’re at their best, then give the whole plant a trim once the flowers fade.
How should you feed plants in July?
Feed tomatoes and pots weekly with a high-potash liquid feed once fruit or flowers are forming. Potash encourages flowers and fruit rather than leaves. Tomato feed suits tomatoes, peppers, courgettes and flowering pots. Mix it at the rate on the bottle.
Once the first fruits set, a weekly high-potash feed keeps tomatoes flowering and cropping. Water first if the compost is dry.
Pots run out of food fast, because there’s only a little compost and every watering washes some nutrients out. A weekly feed keeps baskets and patio pots flowering into autumn. Always feed onto damp compost, not dry, so you don’t scorch the roots.
Roses that repeat-flower appreciate a sprinkle of rose feed early in the month, watered in. Leafy crops such as chard and salads prefer a balanced or higher-nitrogen feed every couple of weeks.
What pests and diseases should you watch for in July?
Tomato blight, aphids and powdery mildew are the main July problems. Check vulnerable plants twice a week.
Brown blotches that spread fast in damp weather are the classic sign of blight. Pick off affected leaves straight away.
Blight shows as brown blotches on tomato and potato leaves, then dark patches on stems and fruit. It spreads in warm, wet or humid weather. Water the soil rather than the leaves, remove the lowest leaves for airflow and pick off blotched leaves straight away. Our guide to tomato blight prevention covers resistant varieties and what to do if it strikes.
Aphids cluster on soft shoots of roses, broad beans and nasturtiums. Squash them, wipe them off or hose them away, and let ladybirds, hoverflies and blue tits do the rest.
Powdery mildew is a white dust on courgette, rose and pea leaves. It’s worse when roots are dry, so water well at the base and thin out crowded growth.
Slugs come out after summer rain. Go out with a torch on damp evenings and collect them.
What can you harvest in July?
Courgettes, beans, peas, early potatoes, salad leaves and the first soft fruit all come ready in July. Pick little and often. Crops left too long turn tough or woody, and the plant stops making more.
- Courgettes: cut at 10-15cm long, and check every couple of days
- Runner and French beans: pick while slim and snappy, before the beans bulge in the pod
- Peas: pick every few days, starting with the lowest pods
- Early potatoes: usually ready when the plants flower, so lift a test plant first
- Salad leaves: cut a few leaves from each plant rather than stripping one bare
- Strawberries, raspberries and currants: net them before the blackbirds find them
Courgettes, beans and salad picked young are tender and tasty, and the plants keep cropping.
How do you keep the garden going while you’re on holiday?
Set up holiday cover a few days before you leave. Group pots together in light shade, where they dry out more slowly. Stand them on capillary matting or old towels with one end in a tray of water.
Give beds a deep soak, then mulch with bark or compost to hold the moisture. A battery timer on a soaker hose or drip line will water borders and pots while you’re away. Test it before you go. Ask a neighbour to pick ripe beans, courgettes and tomatoes, or the plants stop producing.
Our guide to holiday watering solutions has more ideas for pots, greenhouses and veg beds.
Should you mow and water the lawn in a dry July?
Raise the mower blades and let an established lawn go brown in a drought. It isn’t dead. Grass goes dormant in dry weather and greens up again once the rain returns.
A brown lawn in a dry spell isn’t dead. Cut it a little longer and it greens up again once the rain comes back.
Longer grass, around 4-5cm, shades its own roots and copes better with heat. Leave the clippings on the lawn in dry spells, as they act as a thin mulch. Save your water for pots and new plants, and only water a lawn that was sown or turfed this year.
What should you sow in July for autumn?
July is one of the last big sowing windows of the year. Sow oriental greens, chard, spinach, spring cabbage and salad leaves now for autumn and winter picking. Early in the month there’s still time for beetroot, turnips and carrots.
Seeds come up fast in warm soil. Sow into moist ground in the evening, and keep the soil damp until the seedlings appear. In very hot spells, lettuce can be slow to germinate, so sow it in a shady spot or in modules.
Common July garden mistakes
Watering little and often. Shallow daily watering keeps roots near the surface. Water less often but more deeply.
Watering in the midday sun. Much of it evaporates before it reaches the roots. Water early or late.
Leaving crops on the plant. One forgotten courgette becomes a marrow and the plant slows down. Check every couple of days.
Feeding dry pots. Liquid feed on dry compost can scorch roots. Water first, then feed.
Forgetting the greenhouse. On a sunny day it can overheat in an hour. Open the vents and door every morning.
Find more seasonal checklists in our how-to guides. Now you’ve got July sorted, plan your next sowings with our guide to what to plant in July.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important garden jobs in July?
Watering, deadheading, feeding and picking are the big four. Heat puts plants under pressure, so water deeply rather than little and often. Deadhead to keep flowers coming, feed tomatoes and pots weekly, and pick crops as they ripen.
How often should I water the garden in July?
Water established beds deeply once or twice a week in dry spells. A good soak sends roots deeper. Pots and new plants need more, often daily in hot weather. Water early in the morning or in the evening, and let an established lawn go brown, as it recovers.
Should I deadhead flowers in July?
Yes, deadhead repeat-flowering plants every few days in July. Removing faded flowers stops the plant setting seed, so it makes more blooms. Roses, sweet peas, dahlias and bedding respond quickly. Leave a few heads on roses grown for hips.
When should I prune lavender in July?
Trim lavender as soon as the flowers fade, usually late July or August. Cut off the flower stems and a little of the leafy growth. Always leave some green shoots and never cut into bare, old wood, as it rarely regrows.
How do I stop tomato blight in July?
You can’t fully stop it, but you can slow it. Water the soil, not the leaves, space plants well and remove the lowest leaves for airflow. Grow resistant varieties such as ‘Crimson Crush’, and remove any blotched leaves straight away.
Can I sow seeds in July for autumn crops?
Yes, July is a good month for autumn and winter crops. Sow oriental greens, chard, spinach, spring cabbage and salad leaves now. Early in the month there’s still time for beetroot, turnips and carrots. Keep new sowings moist.
How do I keep plants alive on holiday in July?
Group pots together in light shade and stand them on damp capillary matting. Water beds well, then mulch to hold the moisture in. A timer on a drip line or soaker hose waters while you’re away. Ask a neighbour to pick ripe crops.
Our team produces practical UK gardening guidance from source research, contributor records and established horticultural practice. Editorial standards are overseen by Matt W.
