The July garden, if everything is going well, is my favorite. The variety and quantity of healthy garden treats is amazing this time of year. Hopefully you are either harvesting your own or buying from local farmer’s markets and stands – sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, onions, peppers, eggplant, summer squash, blueberries, blackberries, cucumbers, and more. So what to do with all those goodies? My standard July lunch is a classic caprese salad with tomatoes, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh mozarella.
For your July garden check list:
July is a great time for Healthy Eating and Active Living – all thanks to your garden. Working early in the morning and late in the afternoon will save you from some of the heat of the day. Don’t forget water and sunscreen!
- Continue to control weeds – don’t let any go to seed if possible.
- Water as needed.
- Watch for good bugs (lady bugs, praying mantis, spiders, wasps, lacewings, and others)as well as bad bugs (stink bugs, squash bugs, tomato horn worms, army worms and others). If you have plenty of good bugs, you should have fewer bad bugs! If you have bad bugs, put on your gloves and get squishing! You can also use a jar of soapy water to collect them if you can’t stand the crunch!
- Plant more summer squash, cucumbers and green beans if you haven’t already.
- Start thinking about seeds and plants for August – some of the same things we grow in the Spring garden can be planted going into Fall.
Watch farmer’s markets and stands for things you aren’t growing on your own.
Here is a recipe to get you started with what to do with the produce you harvest!