Barbecues with family and friends, long sunny days, and beautiful gardening weather are just some of the reasons why people look forward to the summer months. However, the hotter weather can create punishing conditions for plants. Fortunately, there are few things that you can do to protect your garden from the intense summer heat.
How to best prepare your garden for the summer months
At Jim’s Mowing, we provide professional gardening services so we know a thing or two about the havoc hot weather can wreak on your garden. To ensure your plants can thrive in the heat, you need to perform some basic maintenance. We’ve listed our tips and tricks for how you can best prepare your garden to survive the summer months.
Start early
It’s no good trying to protect your garden from the intense heat after it has already begun. We recommend you start preparing your garden and your lawn for the hot weather once spring is well underway. This will give you and your garden sufficient time to prepare and adapt before the temperatures really begin to heat up!
Plant your seasonal fruit and vegetables
One of the joys of growing an edible garden is the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. If you are wanting to produce a bountiful summer harvest of homegrown strawberries, zucchinis, tomatoes, and much more, you will want to plant late spring to early summer. If you want to grow from seeds, you may need to begin even earlier and can grow inside before transplanting them as seedlings to the garden bed. You can use our summer fruits and vegetables guide to know what will grow well in your region.
Update your watering schedule
Before the summer season rolls in, it is highly advisable to water your garden deeply. Watering deeply encourages the plant roots to grow deeper. With deeper roots, the plants become more resilient to heat; plus your plants become more stable. We recommend that you schedule your watering early in the morning before the day gets too hot as it will enable the moisture to reach the roots before evaporating. You may also want to increase the frequency of watering during the hot temperatures, but be mindful of overdoing it as this can negatively affect your plants and encourage growth of fungal diseases within the soil. If the soil is wet to the touch, leave a few days between waters.
Get mulching!
Mulching is a great way to protect your garden from the intense heat and help retain moisture in the soil. We recommend adding a layer of coarse mulch, about 50 to 75mm, to your garden beds. This can greatly reduce evaporation as well as having the benefit of lowering your soil temperature and providing much needed nutrients. It’s best to mulch at the start of the season.
Sometimes, the topmost layer of the soil develops a waxy coating that prevents water from fully penetrating the soil. Using wetting agents can break down this waxy coating and help water reach down the plant roots.
Fertilise your plants
To help boost healthy growth ahead of hot weather, you can give your plants fertiliser. However, don’t over do it! Overfeeding your plants can cause them to become thirstier and more vulnerable to pests and diseases. Liquid fertilisers mixed with seaweed tonic and fish emulsion work best for vegetables, fruit-bearing trees, and herbs. We recommend fertilising in late spring to give your plants a boost before summer is in full swing.
Manage pests and diseases
Much like humans, pests and diseases are out and about enjoying the summer weather! Your plants can become extra vulnerable to pests and diseases during summer due to stress brought about by low moisture and intense heat. Keep an eye on your garden and identify any pests using our insect guide. To prevent possible pests, water your plants effectively and fertilise the soil before summer.
Enlist the experts!
Let the experts handle your summer garden preparation by using our professional garden services! We can mulch, fertilise, water and generally maintain your garden so it is prepared and ready for the hot weather! Our team are gardening experts and our weekly, fortnightly or monthly services are always tailored to your garden’s unique needs. Receive a FREE quote and ensure your garden is ready for summer.
