What to do in the garden this week, what is ripe, and the weather that will decide both.
The growing week
This week: haze, highs around 97°F and lows around 56°F.
Heat: highs near 97°F — water deeply and shade new transplants.
In the garden now
Peak heat, irrigation, fire clearance and the first autumn sowings
Give fruit trees half-rate nitrogen only if growth or fruit set is poor. July or August is the window. Skip it on a water-stressed tree, which cannot use it and will only want more water. UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County
The rest of the month, and the whole year, is in the garden calendar.
At the farm stands
In July, look for tomatoes, peaches, nectarines, plums, corn, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, peppers, blackberries, and basil.
Garden tasks come from the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County and UC Integrated Pest Management, each linked to its source. Growing weather is from the National Weather Service. Your own microclimate — valley floor or hillside — will vary.