Mid-summer is a vibrant time in vegetable gardens, orchards, and berry patches. Vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are at their peak, offering bountiful harvests. Regular picking encourages continued production and prevents overripening. Orchards are filled with ripe fruits like peaches, plums, and early apples, perfect for fresh eating and preserving. Berry picking is also in full swing, with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries ready for harvest. Ensure proper care by checking for pests, watering consistently, and harvesting promptly to enjoy the best flavors and maintain plant health. This season is ideal for both harvesting and planning future garden improvements.

Harvesting

• Continue harvesting summer fruits vegetables like plums, peaches, berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, and zucchini. (and visit a farmstand for what you don’t grow) Check for ripeness and pick regularly to encourage continued production.
• Lift shallots if they have finished.
• Harvest herbs regularly. Don’t let the leaves become too old.

Planting

• Start planning and planting fall crops if you haven’t already.
• Make successional sowings of radishes, beets, carrots, lettuces, and turnips.
• Consider planting cool-season vegetables like parsley, kale, spinach, late cauliflower, winter cabbage, leeks and broccoli for a fall/winter harvest.
• Sow more string beans.

Maintenance

• Weed regularly
• Water vulnerable crops before they show signs of stress.
• Continue to thin vegetables sown earlier, before they grow large enough to compete with each other.
• Mulch around plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• Check for any pests or diseases and take action if needed.
• Pinch out growing tips of runner beans when they reach the top of their support.
• Thin apples & pears.
• Summer prune cordon and espalier apples and pears.

Soil Care

• Consider testing your soil and adding compost or organic matter to prepare for the next growing season.
• Fertilize vegetables as needed and water in if needed. (organic & quick acting)

Clean-Up

• Begin cleaning up spent plants and debris to reduce disease and pest problems. Compost healthy plant material and discard or burn any diseased plants.
• Tidy up summer-flowering strawberries that have finished fruiting. Cutt off old leaves and unwanted runners, remove straw, and control weeds.

Planning

• Start planning your garden for next year, including crop rotation and any new varieties you’d like to try.

These tasks will help keep your garden productive and ready for the changing seasons.