You spent so much time getting the garden and yard ready for summer, and in eight weeks, you’re going to do it all in reverse to get ready for fall and winter. Since July and August are mostly filled with walking around the garden to check on progress and pull the occasional weed, I try to find ways to make fall easier by doing tasks now. Here are the major tasks you should consider tackling in July.
Mow your strawberries
Strawberries season was short this year, but now that it’s over, you can put your bed to…bed. With strawberries, you can run your lawnmower over them to give them the hacking they need, and then cover them with mulch. Don’t worry; you’re not hurting your berries. You’re essentially cutting off the leaves and new plants from forming, forcing your plants to focus on building strong roots. Adjust your mower to its tallest height and mow right over them. You can leave the clippings in place to compost in place under the mulch.
Strawberries are the perfect excuse to flip your mower over, sweep off the undercarriage and pull off the blade for sharpening. If you’ve never done this basic maintenance before, prepare to be shocked at how much easier mowing is afterward, and how satisfying it is to know you did it yourself. This kit attaches to your drill and sharpens and balances your blade, and is almost fun to use.
If you don’t have a mower and don’t need one, you can use your string trimmer here; just make sure you keep it level and a few inches above ground. You don’t want to tilt it and have the string dig into the ground, because that would hurt the roots of your strawberries and affect their performance next year. The string trimmer I invested in (because it hurt my back the least) is the Ryobi One+ cordless model. In addition to have a long and comfortable enough stem, I love not having to “bop” the head on the ground to get the string to advance. You use the buttons to advance the string, and you never have to wind it yourself; it comes on bobbins.
All the tools I’m using in my garden right now
Cut back spent berry canes
My blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberries are fruiting now, but the raspberries are dunzo, so it’s time to cut back the deadwood. Remember that berries fruit on second-year wood usually, so you only want to cut back the vines that are brown, not green. The brown vines can get cut back to the ground, but I cut back the rest of the canes, even the green ones, to the top of my trellis to keep things orderly. First, go across the bottom of the canes, at the ground level. You can tell which are brown deadwood easily by color, and chop them close to the ground, using a good pair of pruners that are ergonomic and inexpensive because if you’re like me, you’ll lose them in the garden all the time. Yank the canes by the bottom and pull them loose. So many people, including me, are sensitive to the canes and leaves, so this is when I strap on not just a good pair of gloves, but gardening sleeves as well. Garden sleeves cover your arms from UV rays and stabby plants, but also keep allergens off, and there are size-inclusive brands. Pruning my canes is one of the bigger tasks each summer, but also completely fills my compost bin many times over, so spreading it out by starting early is a win all around.
Start mulching now
Once an area is buttoned up for fall, it’s time to mulch it. Arrange for any compost and mulch drops now, so it’s available as you need it. Mulching for fall is one of the most onerous tasks each year, so the more you get done now, the better. Remember, most cities have access to free wood chips to be used for mulch, but it may take a while for delivery, so get a request in now.
I use a variety of tools to move mulch efficiently, from my wheelbarrow to the shovels. While there are all kinds of new kinds of products that compete with wheelbarrows, I still use the classic. It’s the easiest to maneuver into spaces and fill with a good amount of whatever I need. You can find one that works best for you, but I chose this Jackson model for a few reasons and five years in, I have zero regrets. I prefer the wood handles—they never get hot from the sun, they feel good to grip and are easy to maneuver. I like that the screws on the inside of the wheelbarrow lie really flat, so they don’t interrupt my shovel. You’ll use the curve of the wheelbarrow as a scoop for your shovel, and many models have nuts and bolts that interrupt that flow. In five years, with an intense amount of work, I’ve yet to have a flat tire, too.
While I mostly use a garden spade to scoop compost and mulch from the top of the pile, having a square scoop shovel is also helpful for scooping from the bottom and cleaning up the site where the mulch was dropped. Over time, I’ve learned that buying tools with full length wood handles is a mistake, as they inevitably split. For shovels, I really prefer shorter steel handles, and this is the shovel I live by every day. I never thought I needed a scoop shovel, but once I owned one, I was amazed how often it comes in handy. Even in winter, I leave it accessible for ice that I need to chip away at on the walkway. I chose this one for the shorter handle, which is much easier to maneuver.
As you mulch the garden berries, you are visually crossing off areas of the garden, so you know they’re done for the season. With the right tools, you can get ahead of the fall cleanup now.
