July in My Garden: Surviving the Heatwave & Celebrating Summer Harvests

July 31, 2026

July in My Garden: Surviving the Heatwave & Celebrating Summer Harvests

I can’t believe July is already over.

The month began with a week-long heatwave, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure how the garden would handle it. Day after day, temperatures climbed, and even stepping outside to water—whether in the morning or later in the day—felt like walking into a sauna.

Yet despite the intense heat, the garden reminded me once again just how resilient plants can be.

Some struggled.
Some surprised me.
And some absolutely thrived.

Here’s a look at how July unfolded in my Maryland Zone 7 garden.

The Heatwave Put Everything to the Test

Without a doubt, the biggest story this month was the heat.

Several days of intense sunshine and high temperatures challenged every part of the garden. Container plants dried out quickly, and watering became a daily necessity.

Even so, this experience reinforced how important healthy soil, mulch, and consistent watering truly are. While not every plant loved the heat, many handled it far better than I expected.

Tomatoes Are Finally Taking Off

One of my favorite sights this month has been watching the tomatoes fill their cages.

After weeks of steady growth, the plants are now loaded with flowers and green tomatoes. This year, I’m growing mostly dwarf varieties along with a couple of indeterminate plants gifted by a local friend, and it’s been exciting to see them begin producing.

The Season Starter tomatoes seeds (gifted by Park Seed) growing in one of my Vego Garden raised beds were the first to produce, giving me an early glimpse of what’s to come. Meanwhile, the tomatoes in my GreenStalk planter are looking especially lush although at the end of this month I’m starting to see blight on a few of them already. Some of the fruits are ripening and I finally got a taste of the first tomato of the season.

Underneath them, basil and chives are thriving, creating one of my favorite corners of the garden.

This is always the time of year when I start imagining fresh salsa, sandwiches, and summer salads.

Peppers Love the Heat

While some plants struggled, the peppers were right at home in the heat.

I was intentional about mulching this year, and it made a noticeable difference. The plants look healthy and are loaded with potential.

The jalapeños have been producing well—I’ve even started harvesting early. The Scotch bonnet plants are finally filling out, and I’ve already spotted a few green fruits forming.

*First major jalapeno pepper harvest this year. I turned most of them into poppers for a gathering.*

It’s a great reminder that sometimes the hottest part of summer is exactly what warm-season crops need.

Strawberries Had a Tough Month

If one crop struggled the most, it was my strawberries.

The plants on the deck took the full force of the heatwave, and many leaves became dry and crispy despite regular watering. Since most of my strawberries are June-bearing, they were already slowing down, but the extreme heat definitely accelerated their decline.

The Japanese beetles made it worst because they made some of my strawberry plants their host this year. I’ve been picking and drowning them in soapy water to keep the population down.

*The strawberries in containers took a hit during the hottest days this month but happy to say that they still survived.*

Still, they managed to produce the occasional sweet berry.

I’ve been trimming runners on some plants while allowing others to root so I can expand my patch for next year. I’ve also marked my everbearing varieties so I can intentionally propagate them—I’d love to enjoy strawberries throughout the summer, not just in June.

Gardening is always about planning ahead.

Leafy Greens

Believe it or not, I still have some cool-season greens like collards and kale. This is largely thanks to Vego Garden’s mesh netting cover, which acts as a shade cloth during the hottest days while also protecting against cabbage moths.

Even without consistent feeding, these greens are still holding on and doing surprisingly well.

Blueberries, Blackberries & Raspberries Keep Giving

The berries have been one of the sweetest highlights of July.

Although a late spring frost reduced my blueberry harvest, it’s still been a joy to pick fresh berries from the garden. The raspberries have continued producing and became such a great addition to the vegetable harvests this month.

By mid-July, the blackberries joined in, adding even more to the harvest.

There’s something truly special about picking fresh fruit—it never gets old.

Bee Balm Brings the Pollinators

One of the most beautiful sights this month has been the bee balm.

Earlier in the season, I wasn’t sure how much I’d have after moving plants around, but several volunteer plants came back on their own.

Now they’re blooming beautifully and attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators throughout the day.

The garden is always teaching—if we’re willing to pay attention.

Watching the garden come alive with pollinators is just as rewarding as harvesting vegetables.

Ginger & Turmeric Continue Their Slow Journey

If tomatoes and peppers are the sprinters of the garden, ginger and turmeric are definitely the marathon runners.

*It was so exciting to see the black turmeric flower again this year.*

They grow slowly, but each week brings new leaves and steady progress. The recent heat has actually encouraged their growth, and I’m excited to see how they develop by fall.

These long-season crops are a great reminder that not everything in the garden happens quickly.

Quick Snack F1 Cucumbers

This year, I decided to grow just one cucumber variety that impressed me in the past—the Quick Snack variety.

*Cucumber wedges dipped in ranch is perfect.*

It has been quite productive and I’m always happy with them. The plant itself is compact, but its output is impressive.

Melons and Watermelon

The honeydew melon is already taking over the A-frame from Vego Garden and has started producing some fruits already. The deer have been eating the vines that spilled over the deer netting. So far I have three big melons that are developing.

*The honeydew melon filled up this A-frame pretty quickly.*

The watermelon, on the other hand, was gone. I was so disappointed to find the spot empty when I was going for a check. A friend stopped by to pickup some plants for her new garden and I was giving her a tour when I found out that I don’t have watermelon plant anymore. A deer stuck its head into a hole of the netting and ate what it could.

Golden Squash

My summer squash suffered during the heatwave too. The fruits kept rotting, and I think heat stress was one of the main reasons. On top of that, squash vine borers had already damaged the plant. I’ll probably remove it soon and replace it with something else for the rest of the season.

*First proper squash harvest this year.*

I’m still thankful for the small harvest it gave me this year. And on a positive note, I definitely wasn’t overwhelmed with too much squash.

Amaranth (Callaloo)

The amaranth in my garden really took off this month. The plants grew ginormous and beautiful! 🌿💚

I brought some to a local friend when we went to a cookout at her house. She has Jamaican roots, so she appreciated the callaloo. I know this isn’t the variety that is traditionally grown for it, but I believe the flavor is very similar.

Amaranth is a great leafy green to grow when spinach struggles in the summer heat. The taste is different, but if you’re looking for a productive vegetable that loves hot weather, amaranth—or callaloo—is definitely worth growing.

Compost Wins

July also brought a satisfying behind-the-scenes garden win.

I harvested some finished compost from one of my bins, and it felt incredibly rewarding to see all that kitchen and garden waste transformed into rich, usable soil. There’s something special about closing that loop and feeding the garden with what it helped create.

Garlic Harvest

I also finished curing and cleaning my garlic harvest and was able to put it away for storage indoors. It’s always a great feeling to see those bulbs neatly stored after months of growing.

I made sure to reserve the best bulbs for planting this October, setting myself up for another successful garlic crop next season.

My GreenStalk and Self-Watering Planters Proved Their Worth

One of the biggest takeaways from this heatwave was how effective self-watering systems can be.

My GreenStalk planter—filled with tomatoes, callaloo, spring onions, chives, water spinach, and marigolds—remained remarkably healthy despite the extreme temperatures.

Before planting, I added biochar to the potting mix to help retain moisture and nutrients, along with a slow-release fertilizer. This combination worked incredibly well during the hottest days.

*I added Wakefield Biochar in the GreenStalk planter and I think it made a difference during the heatwave.*

The self-watering citrus planters from Vego Garden also performed beautifully. They helped reduce water stress while supporting the growth of my variegated pink lemon and other citrus trees. Plus, they stayed stable even during strong winds—it really feels like having a built-in helper.

The Garden Is Always Teaching Me

Every month brings new lessons.

July reminded me that gardening isn’t about avoiding challenges—it’s about learning how to adapt.

Some plants struggled, while others barely noticed the heat. Observing these differences helps me make better decisions for future seasons, whether that means choosing more heat-tolerant varieties, improving watering systems, adding shade, or adjusting plant placement.

Looking Ahead

The season is far from over.

Tomatoes are sizing up.
More peppers are on the way.
Cucumbers are producing.
Melons are growing.
Sweet potatoes are filling in.

Before long, I’ll be harvesting many of the crops I’ve been waiting months to enjoy.

That’s one of my favorite things about July—every walk through the garden feels full of possibility.

Final Thoughts

July may have started with one of the hottest stretches of weather we’ve experienced, but it also reminded me why I love gardening.

Even during the toughest days, there were flowers blooming, pollinators visiting, berries ripening, peppers producing, tomatoes setting fruit, and ginger and turmeric quietly growing beneath the surface.

The garden wasn’t perfect—and neither was the weather—but that’s part of what makes each season meaningful.

I’m grateful for every harvest, every lesson, and every quiet moment spent in the garden before the heat settles in.

Now, I’m looking forward to seeing what August has in store. What are you looking forward to this coming month?