July - Gardening In LA

July Gardening Tips for Los Angeles County Residents
by Yvonne Savio

-- This month's discussion of garden tasks is based on my 60 years of gardening at my home in Pasadena.
-- For my comments on current weather conditions and activities, see my blog page which includes archived blogs since 2015.
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July is a month of opposites in the garden. Summer's heat is upon us, and we're harvesting crops; but Fall's cool weather is around the corner, and we should begin planning the cool-weather garden. Besides, it's comforting to look forward to some coolness by starting the seeds of those cool-season crops now.

Vegetables and Fruits

Transplant basil, beans, celery, chard, corn, cucumbers, dill, kale, leeks, summer-maturing lettuce, okra, green onions, melons, white potatoes, pumpkins, summer savory, New Zealand spinach, and summer and winter squash. However, the intense heat of summer may mean more attention to watering and even then may result in not-very-happy plants, especially inland.

Do your transplanting in the late afternoon or evening so plants have the whole night to begin to recover before they're hit with a full day of sun and heat. Water the transplants in well and provide shade from the intense mid-day sun. Water enough to keep soil around transplants moist for at least a month until they're well-established. Mulch transplants to lessen evaporation so your irrigation water lasts longer.

At the end of the month, sow carrots, celery and cole crops--broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (especially red and savoy types, which resist frost better), cauliflower, and kohlrabi. Keep the soil moist and shaded until they're up, and then gradually allow them more direct sun over a week's time.

Beans and carrots dislike transplanting and grow more successfully when they are sown where they will be harvested.

Corn planted this late in the season may develop problems with smut (the enlarged grey-black pods) when it's harvested in September. Destroy--don't compost--these infected ears carefully to prevent spreading the spores. Or, if you appreciate the fungus, known as huitlacoche, let it develop!

Get better seed germination during summer's heat by employing several techniques. Sow seeds thickly in flats or beds. Mulch the seeds thinly with sifted compost instead of heavy soil, which easily crusts over and prevents germination, especially of carrots. Frequently sprinkle the flat or bed to keep it moist, or leave a mister on for about 10 minutes several times each day. Shield the bed with a piece of burlap or plywood--this will keep the seeds cooler than the air temperature, give them the moisture they need, and keep the soil surface from crusting. Remove the shade board or burlap after one-fourth of the seeds have germinated. Continue keeping the bed moist until most of the seedlings are up. If flats are used, place them in an area with less than full-day sun, and pay close attention to keeping them moist. Transplant the seedlings when the second set of true leaves develops. These are the ones that look like miniature versions of the mature plant.

To get excellent germination of carrots, parsley, and other slow-comers, sow seed on the north side of a furrow. Sprinkle, cover the seeds lightly with potting soil or fine compost, and shade with cheesecloth, window screening, or slats of wood. The slope away from direct sun and the shading will lessen the heat and baking effect of the sun and result in better germination. Sprinkle every second or third day to keep the soil surface moist. After most of the seeds are up, remove the screening. An easy way to handle the screening is to keep it in a roll--just roll it out over the bed for shade, and then roll it back up for storage when the seedlings are up.

Manure can be applied as a mulch directly onto globe artichokes, asparagus, cabbages and other cole crops, cucumbers, melons, sweet corn, and squash--but don't let it touch the stems or foliage, as it will burn them. Keep high-nitrogen fertilizers away from beans, beets, carrots, parsnips, sweet and white potatoes, and tomatoes, or there'll be more foliage than fruit.

Keep grape root zones evenly moist as the harvest approaches, to assure full filling out and ripening of the grapes. Enclose whole grape clusters in paper bags for protection from birds and wasps. Excluding light will not affect the ripening or sweetening of the grapes.

Water grapes and berries deeply once a week until harvest. Then, water once a month--or twice a month during long periods of hot, dry weather.

Slip eight-inch sections of old pantyhose over grape clusters, tying the top and bottom with twist-ties or string in a bow. They keep out assorted insects and birds, but are easy to remove for harvesting and can be reused each year.

Tomatoes and other large plants in loamy clay soil use about one inch of water in three days of hot dry weather. Rinse the undersides of leaves with water to discourage spider mites. Tomatoes and eggplants especially like this refreshment.

Water and fertilize melons deeply once a week for juicy, fleshy fruits. Hold off irrigating melons about a week before you'll harvest them so their sugars will concentrate.

Protect vine crop fruits like melons and squash from snails and slugs by lifting the fruits or vegetables onto cans, berry baskets, or boards. Also, spread crushed eggshells under each plant--the snails and slugs will avoid the sharp particles. Metal cans speed ripening and sweetening of melons by concentrating the sun's warmth and transferring it to the melons.

Place ripening melons onto upside-down aluminum pie pans or cans to keep them off the damp soil. The reflected heat and light will help them ripen evenly and sooner than when they are shaded by foliage.

Harvest beans, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes at least every other day to encourage further production. If too many fruits are allowed to remain on the plant, the hormones will change so there will be fewer new blossoms to set new fruit.

Pinch back herbs to encourage branching, and use the clippings either fresh or dry. Their flavor is at its peak just before they flower--harvest them early in the morning after the dew has dried but before the day becomes warm and the fragrant oils dissipate. If you can smell them, it's too late since the fragrant oils have vaporized into the air; wait till the next day.

Dry and store whole herb plants by using drawstring net bags from storebought apples, onions, and potatoes. Draw the string closed, and hang the bags on hooks. The netting allows air circulation but contains most dry crumbled pieces if the bag is bumped.

If onion and garlic foliage has not yet slumped and dried, stop irrigating, and bend the stalks to the ground. Allow a month or so for them to dry prior to harvest. Avoid bruising the bulbs during harvest, and let them cure in a single layer on slats or screens in a dry, well-ventilated place. They're ready to store when the foliage and outer layers are dry and papery. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry place where air can circulate. Any with soft, thick necks or bulbs that are not thoroughly dried should be used first, as they will spoil in storage. Check the stored batch once a week, and toss or use immediately any that begin to spoil.

Preserve peppers as soon as they're harvested. Quick-freeze them by slicing or dicing the whole peppers, spreading the pieces on a cookie sheet, and freezing them. Pack the frozen pieces into larger containers, and use the pieces as desired. They will lose their crispness when they've thawed, but they're fine for recipes to be cooked.

To dry chili peppers, pick them when they're deep red, and hang them in a sunny place until they're brittle. To dry other types of peppers, cut the larger ones in half or into pieces, or slit smaller-sized whole ones. Dry them until they're brittle. Store dried peppers in moisture- and vapor-proof containers in a cool, dry, dark place.

Freeze whole tomatoes for cooking later. After slight thawing, cut out the core, and squeeze from the blossom end. The pulp will emerge easily and can be used in any recipe.

Quick, thick tomato sauce can be achieved without cooking. Puree whole, unpeeled tomatoes, and freeze the pulp in a narrow-topped container such as a plastic water jug. As it freezes, the clear liquid in the juice will separate and rise to the top of the container. When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the cap and turn the container upside down in a bowl to defrost. The clear liquid will melt before the pulp does, and the longer you allow the liquid to drain, the thicker the sauce remaining in the jug will get. Use this nutrient-rich clear liquid as a soup base.

Soak strawberry beds and fruit and nut trees every other week this month if the weather's especially hot.

Keep citrus and avocado trees well-watered through the summer. Build a basin for water to soak in deeply, but start it one foot away from the trunk to prevent crown rot.

Paint tree trunks with another coat of light-colored interior latex paint to prevent sunscald, especially on young trees. Prune tree branches with no new growth, and prune espaliered fruit trees only to shape them gently.

Prop up fruit-laden tree branches so that the weight doesn't break the branches. Stake tops to reduce damage from rubbing during breezes. An old rake makes a perfect support--tuck the branch between the tines, cushioning it with layers of cheesecloth or an old glove, and angle the handle into the soil so the branch can still sway in the breeze. Destroy fallen fruit so it won't spoil and attract insects and diseases.

Make a "sandwich" rack for drying fruit outdoors. Old refrigerator or oven shelving works well. Place a second rack on top of the fruit, and flip the "sandwich" each time the fruit needs to be turned. Use a single or double layer of cheesecloth to separate the fruit from the rack.

If your peaches and apricots have brown spots and either rot or shrivel up, they may have brown rot fungus, especially if twigs also develop depressed, reddish-brown, shield-shaped cankers. Remove and destroy--don't compost--all infected fruit and twigs. Lessen the severity of the problem on next year's fruit by cleaning up fallen and rotting fruit, as well as any "mummies" that shrivel but remain on the trees. When the trees bloom next spring, dust or spray the blossoms with sulfur two to four times from the time that the buds show pink until the petals fall.

Ornamentals

General

Sow or transplant alyssum, celosia (cockscomb), cosmos, forget-me-nots, gazania, marigolds, nasturtiums, portulaca (moss and sun rose), salvias, statice (sea lavender), verbena, and zinnias. Keep garden soil moist and mulched until they're established.

Also transplant fibrous begonia, calendula (pot and winter marigold), chrysanthemums, crape myrtles, dahlias, daylilies, delphiniums, dianthus (pinks, sweet William), foxgloves, hibiscus, hydrangeas, impatiens, penstemons, petunias, rudbeckias (coneflowers, black-eyed-Susan), and salvias. Keep them shaded during the hottest portion of the day, and sprinkle the foliage several times a day for the first week after they're transplanted--but do so early in the day so the leaves dry off by sunset. Then, gradually increase their time in the direct sun over a week's time, when they should be able to withstand a full day's sun without drooping.

Fill in garden gaps with summer-into-fall bloomers, especially alyssum, celosia, cosmos, petunia, portulaca, red sage, vinca, and zinnia.

Encourage repeat blooming by pinching or cutting back alyssum, coreopsis, crape myrtles, dahlias, delphiniums, dianthus, fuchsias, gaillardias, lobelia, marigolds, penstemons, petunias, rose of Sharon, salvias, and verbenas. Prune chrysanthemums and poinsettias for the last time to encourage them to bush out and keep the stems from becoming scraggly by autumn--unless you prefer a droopy or curly-stemmed display, as down a retaining wall.

Continue pruning spent blooms on roses weekly or so until fall, down to the first five-part leaf or a bit further to gently shape the plant. Then, feed lightly, and water. Maintaining this schedule will encourage continuous bloom throughout the season. Water only in the mornings to lessen mildew and other disease problems which proliferate when foliage is left wet for hours under warm temperatures.

Dig and store spring-blooming bulbs and tubers when their foliage is completely dry. Gently remove excess soil (but don't wash the tubers), and store them in a cool, dry, dark place.

Dig and divide bearded iris clumps if they're crowding each other or didn't bloom much last spring. Break off and discard the older central rhizomes that have no foliage. Let the young, healthy rhizomes dry out of the direct sun for several hours so a callous forms over the break before replanting it. On rhizomes with foliage, clip roots to two inches in length, remove individual dry leaves, and clip the other leaves to about an eight-inch fan. Dig compost and bonemeal into the top six inches of soil. Replant the rhizomes a foot apart with the foliage fan pointing out in the direction you want new growth. Plant them only deep enough to barely cover the rhizome with soil. Water them in.

Root cuttings of azaleas, fibrous begonias, camellias, carnations, marguerite daisies, fuchsias, gardenias, geraniums, hollies, hydrangeas, lilacs, marguerites, mock oranges, mums, and verbena in a mix of milled peat, sand, and garden soil. Provide filtered light, and maintain the moisture of the soil mix until they are well-rooted, in a month or so. Then transplant them.

You can have fuchsias in bloom for Christmas if you choose the right varieties and take cuttings by early next month. Any fuchsia that does not need long days to set buds is suitable--including 'Angel's Flight,' 'California,' 'Dollar Princess,' 'Elfriede Ott,' 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt,' 'Golden Anniversary,' 'Hula Girl,' 'Kathy Louise,' 'Koralle,' 'Leverkusen,' 'Red Jacket,' 'Stella Ann' and 'Trumpeter.' Root three- to four-inches terminal cuttings in a loose mix, transplant them into six-inch pots, and pinch them every few weeks through October to encourage branching. Grow them in a bright window or under fluorescent lamps three to six inches above the plants for 12 to 16 hours a day until budset. Plants will bloom for months. Then, cut them back and feed them for rebloom next summer.

Tear--don't just trim--rose suckers off at the base with a harsh downward and outward pull. Don't be gentle--the suckers will not return only if you remove or damage the sucker bud cells at their base. You can also smash those cells with a hammer or your pruners.

Continue to mow lawns at two or three inches height to keep grass roots shaded. Grass that is shorn too much when mown is susceptible to shock and sunburn. Also, keep your lawn mower blades sharp. Dull blades may require as much as three times the power as sharp blades to do the job, and they tear the grass blade edges, making the lawn more susceptible to stress and diseases.

Teaching plant roots to grow deeply for water will lessen irrigation needs during hot weather. Make sure that irrigation drip lines, soaker hoses, sprinklers, and trenches are in place before root systems get too large.

The weather and the texture of your soil will determine the amount and frequency of irrigation to apply to your garden. Heavy clay soils require less irrigation than sandy loam soils. During periods of long, hot weather, plants need more frequent and longer irrigation than during periods with more moderate temperatures. Irrigation which keeps the soil soggy will increase root rot problems.

Mulch the soil--especially with organic matter such as leaves or grass clippings--to temper the drying and heating effect of the sun, and irrigation will be more effective with less frequency and quantity.

Continue pulling weeds before they form seedheads or scatter their seeds, and you'll have fewer weed problems later. Weeding the day after watering will ease the chore, and weeds' entire root systems will come out more readily. If you leave pulled weeds in garden pathways for dry mulch, be sure to leave them with their roots up in the air so they don't reroot themselves. But don't leave weeds that have already developed their seedheads--some seeds may mature and germinate next year.

If you are considering constructing a compost pile but are leary of a potentially disagreeable smell and hovering insects, be aware that these result from the pile not being aerated enough. The foul odor and large numbers of insects are due to anaerobic decomposition.

To properly construct a "breathing" compost pile, collect some moist greenery such as grass clippings, green foliage, and kitchen scraps with no grease or fat; some dried leaves or woody material in small pieces; and some soil, manure, or compost.

Begin the pile on top of some rougher, dry brush or small twigs. Then mix the ingredients well or thinly layer them until the pile is about three feet tall and wide. Add finely-chopped, moist greenery such as grass clippings in thin layers, or stir them into the top layer of other ingredients. Otherwise, thick layers will compact, decompose, and smell rotten in the summer heat.

Water the pile until it's moist but not soggy. Mix the pile every several weeks to let in more air if it seems to be compacting without breaking down the ingredients.

Bonemeal promotes excellent root growth. It becomes available to your plants more quickly when it is mixed with manure or compost and dug into well-aerated soil.

Make your own complete, slow-release, and fairly well-balanced granulated fertilizer from natural ingredients. Use four parts seedmeal or fish meal; one part agricultural or dolomite lime; one part rock phosphate or one-half part bonemeal; and one-half part kelpmeal. Seedmeal is any kind of ground-up seed. Cottonseed is the most inexpensive and is easy to work with but potentially contains the most pesticide residues. Fishmeal tends to be odorous for a day or two after incorporation (just think you're at the beach....). All are high in nitrogen and contain moderate amounts of phosphorus but little potassium.

Agricultural lime or the more balanced dolomite lime should be finely ground so they act quickly. Do not use quick lime or slaked lime. Bonemeal and rock phosphate are effective phosphate fertilizers. Bonemeal is faster- acting but is more expensive and tends to become clumpy. Kelpmeal adds potassium and many necessary trace elements.

To encourage beneficial insects to populate your garden, provide them with their chosen foods and habitats. Many weeds--including lamb's quarters, nettles, knotweed, pigweed, and cocklebur--as well as many cultivated annuals, perennials, and herbs are food sources for two of the most important orders of beneficials, wasps and flies. Most of these plants are members of two families, the umbelliferae and the compositae. Umbelliferae--such as anise, carrot, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel and parsley--have many tiny flowers arranged in tight umbels looking like an upturned umbrella. Compositae--such as black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, and strawflower--have central disc flowers surrounded by many ray petals and look like a daisy.

Mustard flowers attract lacewings (for aphids) and parasitic wasps (for cabbage caterpillars and coddling moths; they don't bother people or pets). Rows or interplantings of these plants can support a large beneficial insect population.

Plastic gallon jugs with their bottoms cut out and caps removed can be used at least two times each year. When starting seeds or setting out plants when nights are still cool, use the jugs as hot caps. When the plants have outgrown the jugs or night-time temperatures stay above 50 degrees, invert the jugs and bury their necks into the soil for use as funnels for irrigation and liquid fertilization.

Recycle 2-liter plastic soda bottles into drip-irrigation containers. Punch two small holes into the metal screw-on cap. Remove the hard plastic base, cut off the rounded bottom of the bottle, and replace the base as a cap. Sink the bottle upside down into the soil, and firm it around the bottle to hold it in place. Remove the base (now the top) to fill the bottle with water or fertilizer solution, and replace it to retard evaporation.

Gallon- or larger-sized containers with holes punched in the lower halves and bottoms can be sunk into the soil between plants or seedlings as watering tools. Irrigation and fertilizer solutions can be poured into these containers to gently seep into the soil. Plant roots will grow deeply in search of this nutrition and moisture, and these deep roots will support the plant well during longer periods of hot weather that will kill plants with more shallow root systems. The five-gallon and larger sizes can be used in the holes dug for hills of melons, squash, etc.--the container prevents the hole from filling up with soil with each watering.