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Mid-Summer Kitchen Garden Tasks in Eastern Ontario: What to Do in July
- Eric & Ines
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
July is a busy, beautiful month in the kitchen garden. We’re in the peak of summer, enjoying the first real wave of harvests—peas, beans, greens, early potatoes—and watching warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers take off.
But don’t let the height of summer fool you—this is also the perfect time to start thinking about fall. With about two months to go before our average first frost (mid to late September in much of Eastern Ontario), now is the moment to sow a second wave of cool-weather crops, do some essential maintenance, and keep an eye out for pests and disease.
Here’s your July kitchen garden checklist:
🌱 1. Plant Now for a Fall Harvest
July is prime time to plant crops that will thrive in the cooler days of late summer and early fall. Focus on quick-maturing or cold-hardy vegetables.
Direct sow outdoors:
Beets
Carrots
Turnips
Radishes (later in the month and August)
Bush beans (your last chance!)
Lettuce and leafy greens like arugula and mustard (July and August)
Chard and kale
Spinach (towards the end of the month and August for fall harvest)
Cilantro, dill, and other fast-growing herbs
Peas: plant seeds now for a crunchy fall harvest
Start indoors (or in a shady area outside):
Brassicas: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts
Kale (if you didn’t direct sow)
Chinese cabbage and bok choy
Green onions and leeks for overwintering or early spring harvest
Tip: Use shade cloth or plant under taller crops like corn or tomatoes to help delicate seedlings during hot spells. Keep the soil moist to help with germination.
🍅 2. Maintenance: Support, Prune, Fertilize
Your garden is growing fast—and needs your help to stay productive.
Tomato care:
Prune suckers on indeterminate tomato varieties to improve airflow and focus energy on fruit.
Give your plants some extra support with trellises or stakes and twine.
Watch for early signs of blight, especially after heavy rain or humidity. Prune away leaves that inhibit airflow.
Watering:
Water deeply and less frequently to encourage deep roots.
Water early in the day to reduce evaporation and fungal issues.
Fertilizing:
Mid-season feeders like tomatoes, peppers, and squash benefit from a second dose of compost, organic liquid fertilizer or organic fertilizers like blood meal or bone meal.
Use compost tea, liquid kelp or diluted fish emulsion to feed container-grown veggies.
🐛 3. Pest and Disease Patrol
Summer brings plenty of bugs—and some of them are not friends of your garden. Stay alert with regular walk-throughs.
Common July pests in Eastern Ontario:
Tomato hornworms – remove by hand at night (bring a black light flashlight to make them easily visible!)
Cabbage worms – hand pick and squish them (also remove eggs, check under site of leaves); best protection: use row covers to protect your plants; plant lots of marigold, basil or other fragrant plants around to camouflage the odor of brassicas; last resort: spray with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) to kill the caterpillars
Squash bugs & cucumber beetles – check under leaves, use neem or insecticidal soap; best protection: use row covers to protect your plants
Aphids & spider mites – blast with water (once aphids fall to the ground they don't crawl back up) or apply soapy water spray
Fungal diseases:
Powdery mildew on cucurbits
Blight on tomatoes and potatoes
Leaf spot on beets and chard
➡️ Prevent problems with good spacing, pruning for airflow, and crop rotation. Avoid overhead watering where possible.
🧺 4. Harvest and Enjoy!
Harvesting regularly keeps your plants productive. Pick beans, peas, cucumbers, and zucchini while they’re young and tender. Don’t forget to:
Harvest herbs like basil, mint, and oregano to prevent bolting.
Start curing garlic if the lower leaves are yellowing.
Dig up early potatoes once the plant flowers, harvest the rest later once the plants start to die off.
Harvest a little on a regular basis to avoid food waste and overstressed plants.
🌿 5. Plan Ahead
Keep a record of what you’re harvesting and planting—this will help with crop rotation and planning next year’s garden.
Begin thinking about season extension: Do you have row covers, cold frames, or a hoop tunnel for fall and early winter harvests?
Order seeds now if your fall stash is low—some varieties sell out quickly.
Final Thoughts
Gardening in July is all about balance: harvesting and planting, enjoying and maintaining, observing and responding. By taking the time now to prep your fall garden, tend your summer crops, and manage pests early, you’ll set yourself up for continued abundance right through autumn.
Happy gardening!
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