The Effortless July Garden Checklist: 5 Quick and Easy Jobs That Will Keep Your Garden Looking Its Best

Our gardens should be growing strongly now and while this is incredibly satisfying, beautiful to sit among and delicious to harvest if you grow your own, the list of things we need to do to keep it looking good can sometimes feel overwhelming.

But stop right there. Keeping the garden at its best this month is all about prioritizing the jobs to do now, and doing the ones that will have the greatest impact with the smallest amount of effort. Focus on the the quick, 10-minute fixes; those essential tasks that are quick to do but have a massive visual and horticultural impact.

Here I explain the five key jobs that I return to on repeat to keep my yard and its plants healthy and make sure it looks its best throughout the summer. Not only are they easy, but when summer is at its height and there is time to be spent with family and friends, I'd rather spend fewer hours gardening. (By the way, my tool of choice is a hori hori knife, like this beautiful Nisaku weeding knife at Amazon, which makes so many jobs an easy pleasure.)

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1. Deadheading

Deadheading is my number one daily job because will create a constant palette of colour flowing through your yard all summer and into the fall.

By removing fading flowers, we startle plants into thinking they have lost this season's supply of seeds, so they create more buds as a result, to ensure their survival.

If the dead blooms are left in place they become seedheads and the plant won’t flower again this year because as far as it is concerned, its work is done. Having said that, some perennial flowers should be left alone as they provide nectar for migrating hummingbirds through late summer and the fall.

There are several deadheading mistakes to avoid, and several plants that should not be deadheaded and whose faded flowers add something to the summer and fall garden.

However, I take a lot of satisfaction by going round my garden in the early morning or evening with my trusty snips like these 6" Fiskars Pruning Scissors on Amazon and removing the fading flowers of echinaceas, sweet peas, knapweeds and dahlias.

For more sturdy plants such as roses and robust early summer perennials that need cutting back now, I use secateurs like these Fiskars Bypass Pruners at Walmart.

Remember to keep your snips and secateurs sharp and clean them after each use so they don’t get sticky with sap or spread diseases from plant to plant.

2. Easy Weeding

High summer is the best time to tackle weeds while they are growing strongly because this is when they are most vulnerable to weedkillers. If you garden organically or are looking for some eco-gardening ideas, right now weeds are highly visible and easier to remove completely, roots and all.

Weeding is about much more than keeping your yard and its borders looking tidy. Weeds steal moisture and nutrients from the soil, often out-competing cultivated plants.

Weed seedlings are easy to deal with; I run a sharp hoe blade over the soil to cut them down, then leave them to rot down as a homemade green manure.

I also tackle perennial weeds by hand, removing them root and all and then leaving them to shrivel and die on the garden path, or I drown them in a bucket of water for up to three weeks, before adding them to the compost heap.

Don’t forget to protect your knees while getting up close and personal with weeds - I wouldn't be without my Gorilla Grip kneeling pad from Amazon and would love to upgrade it to this handy kneeler seat with tool pouches at Walmart.

For those less able to bend, this Grampa's Weeder at Amazon will save a lot of backache.

If you prefer to use weedkiller such as the glyphosate-free ECO Garden Pro vinegar weedkiller on Amazon, take care when applying and make sure it doesn’t touch other plants as it will see them off too.

Remember to never use a general purpose weedkiller to tackle lawn weeds as it will kill the grass too. Choose a specific product like ready-to-use Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Plus Crabgrass Killer at Walmart for safe results.

3. Feeding Plants

Plants are growing strongly and some of them may need an extra boost of fertilizer in July to keep them going as summer progresses.

Just as we prioritize summer gardening tasks, we also need to know which plants require more feeding than others, and which can do without any extra nutrition at all.

The ones that need the most help are those growing in containers and hanging baskets as they quickly use up the nutrients in their potting soil. While some plants thrive on neglect, most will need a more constant regime of care.

Cropping plants are also hungry, and tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and all varieties of beans will all benefit from extra feeding as they form their fruits and we get closer to the harvest.

There is one fertilizer that benefits a wide range of plants. I use a liquid tomato feed like Farmer's Secret Tomato Booster Fertilizer at Amazon for container plants as well as edibles because it is rich in potassium which encourages the formation of fruits and flowers.

Annuals and young perennials planted in the soil earlier this summer will also need feeding, and for them I either use the tomato fertilizer, or a general purpose feed such as Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food at Walmart. I also rate liquid seaweed fertilizer and use Bloom City Seaweed and Kelp Fertilizer available at Amazon.

I leave established perennials, trees and shrubs to their own devices as they should have developed extensive root systems that can take up nutrients for further afield in the yard.

They will get a general purpose feed and thick layer of mulch in the fall, to tide them over until next spring.

4. Watering and Mulching

Watering is key to keeping your garden healthy and looking good throughout summer.

The first thing to remember is how to water correctly. The best time is in the early morning and evening when temperatures are cooler, allowing water to soak into the soil before it evaporates under the sun.

Deep watering drenches the soil around the plant so the moisture sinks down, encouraging the roots to quest deeper and further rather than remaining at the surface, which can weaken the plant and make it more likely to be unstable in bad weather.

Give the soil a soak using a hose like this lightweight one with a 10-setting sprayer at Amazon or, for smaller gardens, containers and hanging baskets, a watering can such as this 2-gallon model at Amazon will get the job done. It also has a long removable spout, which makes it easier to reach hanging baskets.

After watering, mulch the soil to help it retain moisture. Either use homemade compost or a garden mulch such as Back to the Roots organic Mulch at Amazon.

Prioritise what needs water the most - containers and baskets, edible plants, especially if they are in growbags, and new plantings that are still getting established.

Avoid wetting flowers and leaves as this only wastes moisture and if moisture lingers on the plant it can increase the risk of moulds and mildews.

Water is an increasingly precious resource, so reduce water waste in your yard, save it where you can, using water barrels like this Outdoor Raincatcher at Amazon to collect rainfall, and saving non-greasy dish washing water, as long as it isn’t full of food particles.

5. Filling Gaps

I read a great quote the other day: ‘Nature never leaves soil bare and neither should you’. These are wise words indeed, because bare soil is incredibly vulnerable.

It can be eroded by wind and rain and provides a fertile spot for weed seeds as they ripen and spread in summer. All in all, leaving an area uncovered and unused is very bad for soil health.

Gaps often appear in the July garden when the flowers of early summer start to fade before late-season varieties really get going. Fill these spaces by sowing seeds of annuals, those tough but beautiful flowers that are easy to grow and very often flourish in poor soil and thrive on neglect.

One of my favourite annuals are nasturtiums, which are brilliant multitaskers. Their leaves shade the soil, helping it retain moisture, they are an excellent companion plant, drawing pests like aphids away from my crops, their peppery leaves and pretty flowers are attractive additions to summer salads and, when pickled, their unripe seeds are a great substitute for capers.

California poppies, Calendula, cornflowers and alyssum are other quick-growing annuals to sow in July, while climbing annuals sown now will add height and structure into the fall.

You could also plant out cuttings taken last summer that are mature now, and take cuttings in this month for next year's garden. I don't recommend planting perennials at this time of year unless you are prepared to put in the work, as the soil is hot and dry and they will need a lot of watering and care while they get established.

Another quick hack for filling gaps is, if practical, to move a planter already full of flowers to the bare patch of soil. An instant fix!

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Although many plants can be left to their own devices now and are growing strongly, these efficient tasks take just minutes but will have a massive impact on the health and attractiveness of your garden.

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