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Garden Tips for Summer

July 19, 2020
Published by Grayhawk Homes

During the heart of summer, you’re probably not thinking of doing much gardening other than regular maintenance to keep your homes in Opelika AL looking good. After all, you’ve already put a lot of work in and now is the time to sit back and enjoy it all. Still, there are certain things you can and should do during this time of year to keep your yard and garden looking good through the rest of the summer and into fall.

First and foremost, no matter how much you enjoy the summer heat, it’s important to be careful, especially during hot, humid, Alabama summers. Do any major yard work when it’s still a bit cooler out, either first thing in the morning or in the evening. Not only does it protect you from the worst of the sun’s rays and heat, it’s also a good time to do any watering so that the water doesn’t evaporate too quickly, giving it a chance to soak into the soil.

In fact, it’s generally best to do your watering first thing in the morning. That gets the soil wet enough to help the plants during the hottest part of the day. During particularly hot days, you may want to do a light watering again in the evening if some plants are looking a bit parched, but you don’t want too much moisture just sitting around. Consider doing some hand watering rather than drip irrigation or sprinklers so you can focus on the plants that need it.

Don’t forget to go around and deadhead any blooms past their prime. This will keep your plants blooming through the season. While you’re there, check the leaves of your plants for any damage and treat them as needed. Go ahead and trim back some of the tall perennial bloomers like asters or mums so they won’t bloom too early. This will allow them to grow fuller and bloom more in early fall.

If you have a vegetable garden, you should have already pulled out cold-weather crops like spinach and replaced them with vegetables that do well when planted in warm weather, such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and lettuce. Put in stakes to help plants like tomatoes grow more easily and be properly ventilated. You also want to check certain vegetables daily, so they don’t end up rotting on the vine. You’re likely to have a variety of vegetables ready on a daily basis.

When it comes to your lawn, give the grass and yourself a break and let it grow a little longer. Set your blade higher and maybe give it an extra day or so between mowing. This lets the shade of the taller grass protect the moisture in the soil so you have a healthier lawn.

Finally, don’t forget your compost pile. Give it a good turnover to let the summer heat help develop all of those rich nutrients.

These are just a few tips to keep the lawns and gardens of your homes in Opelika AL looking their best during the hot summer months. Fortunately, most of this doesn’t require too much effort on your part, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your beautiful yard, maybe while enjoying some freshly made salsa with your garden’s harvest.

Categorised in: Design Tips, Garden Tips for Summer, summer tips

This post was written by Grayhawk Homes