July Garden Guide

Monthly Garden Guide
Written By Caity Endt

July is the coldest month, although the days are slowly getting longer. Most frosts on Aotea take place in July.

Weather:

Check Niwa’s seasonal outlook for updates. 

In the Vege Garden

It is tempting to try to get plants in super early, but our experience is that they usually take a long time to get going, and that by being patient, later plantings will overtake those planted too early.

Also, planting in the cold risks plants bolting (going to flower) when the weather warms up. There is still time to plant alliums and perennials. 

Sow (in the greenhouse) for planting in August:

  • Onions (latest in August)

  • banana shallots (latest in August)

  • Brassicas (Asian greens like pak choy, as well as cabbage, kale, and broccoli)

  • Lettuce (cool-season varieties such as Cos, Tom Thumb and Little Gem)

  • Parsley (soak for 24 hours before sowing) 

  • Flowers for beneficial insects: alyssum, hollyhocks, sweet peas for flowers, violas, stock, calendula

Direct Sow:

  • The soil is usually cold now, so most veg will sulk and not do much if directly sown. 

  • Exceptions are sugar snap and snow peas. You can plant them directly or pre-sprout them by lying them on a damp tea towel, and once the roots start to appear,  plant them into a well-drained, sunny part of the garden. Prepare the garden space with a climbing frame for climbing peas. PROTECT FROM BIRDS! 

  • Our favourite variety: Bohemian Sugarsnaps are very vigorous, climbing up to 2 metres, and are extremely productive over 2-3 months.

  • Coriander can be soaked and directly sown as well.

Plant:

  • Shallots and spring onions, small onions like Purplette, storage onions like Pukekohe Longkeepers

  • Potatoes (well sprouted and with frost protection)

  • Globe artichokes (seedlings)

  • Jerusalem artichoke (dormant tubers)

  • Rhubarb

  • Asparagus crowns

  • Yacon

  • Lettuce (cool-season varieties such as Cos, Little Gem, Tom Thumb, Perella Montpellier)

  • Endives and escarole

  • Flowers for beneficial insects:  alyssum, sweet peas for flowers, violas, stock, calendula

Watch out for:

  • Slugs and snails

  • Birds after new seedlings

  • Frost! Keep an eye on weather forecasts and protect susceptible plants: potatoes, bananas and tamarillos!

Feeding the Soil:

  • Where you have harvested heavy-feeding winter crops such as cabbages and caulis, dig in some compost/vermicast

Harvesting:

  • Cut cabbages from the stem and cut a cross into the stump- four baby cabbages will grow and they will be ready in about 8 weeks. 

In the Orchard

  • Plant temperate fruit trees (stone, pip and citrus):

    • prep the soil well

    • pay special attention to giving trees adequate space in our humid climate 5m for stonefruit, 3-5 m for pip fruit depending on rootstock, 2-3 m for citrus depending on variety

    • Planting workshop on July 20 (2024)

  • Prune fruit trees on a dry day

    • prune pip and stone fruit starting with the stonefruit as they are the first to flower

    • plenty of time before apples break leaf so leave them til last

    • clean up and burn/hot compost any mummified fruit and prunings

    • use clean, sharp tools

Other tasks

  • Lift your dahlia tubers if the growth has completely died back, especially if you have wet soil, to stop them from rotting. Store in sawdust/potting mix. 


Caity Endt

Caity has always been a keen gardener and nature lover, spending endless hours in the garden with her father as a child and eventually studying botany and ecology.

After marrying Gerald, the seeds fell on the fertile soil of Great Barrier Island, and Okiwi Passion was born.

Caity now has part time role as Food Resilience Co-Ordinator on Aotea encouraging, teaching and supporting individuals to grow more local food!

https://www.okiwipassion.co.nz/about-us/
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