Summer Garden Checklist

Summer is often the season where gardens shine the brightest. Flowers are blooming, vegetables are ripening, bees are buzzing, and everything feels alive and abundant. But that beauty doesn’t happen on its own. In fact, summer is when your garden needs the most care. Between the intense heat, rapid plant growth, increased pest activity, and soil nutrient depletion, there’s a lot going on beneath the surface. If you want your garden to stay healthy and productive through the hottest months, it’s worth it to be proactive.

Here’s your practical, seasonal summer garden checklist, filled with hands-on tips to help you care for your garden through the heart of the growing season.

Water Smarter

The hot temperatures mean that most plants will be needing some extra attention with watering. Watering seems simple, but it’s often where things go wrong in summer gardening. A little too much, or too little, and your plants could start to show signs of stress.

Try to water early in the morning before the sun is too intense. This gives plants time to absorb the moisture before the heat of the day can evaporate it. Try to avoid watering later in the afternoon or evening if possible as excess moisture sitting on leaves overnight can encourage mildew and disease.

Rather than shallow, daily watering, aim for deep watering a few times a week. Deep watering encourages deeper root growth and will strengthen plants against drought. Use your finger to check soil moisture. If the top couple of inches are dry, it’s time to water. Containers and hanging baskets may need more frequent watering, sometimes even daily, especially during heat waves.

If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to apply mulch around new plantings to help lock in moisture. Looking for a a plant that is reliably hardy and can tolerate more inconsistent watering? Wild Geranium is an excellent choice!

Great Time to Beautify

As plants grow and push out gorgeous blooms and foliage, they will need a little deadheading and pruning to help put on their best show. This regular maintenance will go a long way in making your garden strong and gorgeous all season.

To deadhead, remove spent flowers to encourage fresh blooms to form and provide the plant with a cleaner look. This is especially important for perennials that often have a few separate rounds of blooming throughout the season. Bold, showy flowers like Black Eyed Susan benefit immensely from this practice.

If you’re growing vegetables, regular pruning helps keep the plants manageable and productive. Tomatoes, for example, benefit from removing suckers and excess foliage to allow sunlight and airflow in.

Monitor regularly for any dead leaves and pluck them off to enhance the tidiness of the garden.

Mid-Summer Feeding

After the rush of early summer blooming, plants start to look a little tired after using a bunch of resources for these complex processes. This also results in some levels of soil nutrient depletion, necessitating some fertilization to ensure the plants can continue pushing out their best. This is especially true for early bloomers like Tall Phlox, as mid-season feedings will encourage a second round.

Vegetables like tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers are heavy feeders. Consider applying an organic fertilizer or compost tea every two to three weeks. Leafy greens might appreciate a boost of nitrogen, while fruiting plants do better with a fertilizer that has more phosphorus and potassium.

Just be careful not to overdo it. More isn’t always better, especially in hot weather. Fertilize when temperatures are cooler, either early in the morning or in the evening, and always water afterward.

Stay on Top of Weeds

Weeds are fast and aggressive in the summer. If left unchecked, they’ll crowd out your plants, steal moisture and nutrients, and make your garden look messy. Try to weed a little bit every few days rather than letting them get out of hand. It’s easiest after a rain or watering session when the soil is soft.

Mulch is highly useful for weed control. Mulch not only helps keep moisture and regulate the temperature of soil, but also keeps weeds at bay. Just make sure you don’t pile it up against plant stems, which can invite rot. Also, consider planting some Groundcovers to prevent opportunistic weeds from taking hold underneath larger plants.

Monitor for Pests

While the garden is buzzing with honeybees and butterflies, other less welcome insects are likely sniffing around as well. This is the peak season for aphids, cabbage worms, beetles, and other pesty bugs. However, preventing them is easy.

Take a few minutes daily to observe the undersides of leaves, stems, and the overall growth progress of a plant. Watch out for holes in the leaves, sticky residue (left by Aphids), or any strange speckles. If you spot pest insects on the plants, remove them mechanically with your hands or with spraying water. Treat accordingly with insecticidal soap, neem oil, or other natural methods.

Sit Back and Enjoy Your Hard Work

While it’s tempting to always be on the move in the garden, it’s important to also take the time to reap the rewards of home gardening. Smell the flowers, watch the pollinators, and listen to the breeze swaying gently in the leaves, or whatever it may be that brings you joy in your garden. It’s summer, kick back and enjoy!