Summer provides the much deserved chance to appreciate the work done throughout the spring planting and cleanup tasks. As you’re enjoying your summer blooms, there are a few simple tasks that will help your garden continue to be its best.

1. Cut back (deadhead) the first round of spent flowers to encourage a new round of blooms later in the summer.
2. Re-apply mulch, as needed, and keep up on removing weeds to help keep moisture in the soil.
3. Double check the Summer Plant Maintenance Section of your Garden In A Box Info Sheets to check for any plant specific tasks. Lost your copy? Email us at gardeninfo@resourcecentral.org to receive a PDF version.
4. Harvest mid to late season veggies like tomatoes, peppers, and melons. Have an excess of these tasty veggies at the end of the season? Take a look at this awesome article from CSU Extension with creative ways to preserve your extra!
5. Look to see if there are any gaps in your garden that you’d like to fill during the fall planting season (to do so, shop our fall Garden In A Box collection!). A great tip is to get in the habit of taking photos of your garden every few weeks throughout the season and to then be able to go through them later on in the season to see if you’d like anything to change or move around. Maybe you notice that one spot needs more height variation, or that you’re ready to try dividing one of your favorite, prolific bloomers and planting it in another area to have more of it. If you’re like me, your camera roll is already filled with garden photos that you took throughout the season without realizing they’d be helpful for future planning!
6. Keep track of your garden’s water needs. Write on the calendar when you shifted your watering schedules and what the temperatures were. This will help you plant for next year. The upcoming summer to fall transition means you can dial back watering but until then, ensure your garden is getting the water it needs on these hot days. We recommend deep, less frequent watering to ensure your plants are growing extensive, drought-tolerant roots. In summer when the top 2 inches of soil are dry, water the soil to a depth of 2 feet.

Don’t forget to sit back, relax and enjoy all of your hard work! We always love to see photos of your garden, so while you’re enjoying your yard and taking pictures, be sure to send a few of them into us as well!