Gardener’s To-Do List for July

July To-Do List for Zone 8

• Set out fall tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants late this month.
• Sow Halloween pumpkins.
• Clean up the garden, then mulch the bare soil to conserve moisture.
• Mulch perennials and new trees with a layer of compost topped with bark mulch.
• Don't overstimulate dormant plants with unnecessary water or feeding; they'll resume growth when the weather cools.
• Tend the compost pile so it will be ready to work into the soil in preparation for fall planting.
• Set out ageratums, balsam (Impatiens balsamina), cockscomb, croton, feverfew, marigolds, petunias, wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata), pinks (Dianthus spp.), portulaca and vinca (Catharanthus roseus).
• Add 2 to 3 inches of mulch to retain water.