Though it's still really early in the gardening season, I feel as if July is the peak season for gardeners in Connecticut. Typically in July, you're harvesting, and also working on our fall garden. I'm learning so much this year about gardening, and I feel as if I'm learning something new every day. This is the first year that I successfully started flowers from seed, and I'm really learning so much. Below, I'm sharing a few garden lessons I've learned so far.
Pruning
I pruned my rose bushes for the first time this year (this was my second year with them) and boy did pruning late such a huge difference.
Pinching
When I originally read that pinching was a practice that is done once zinnia, marigolds, and cosmos reach a certain height. Let's just say I didn't plan on going this route until I learned that you actually get way more plants by pinching instead of getting just one bloom with certain flowers. Plus, you can propagate a lot of the clippings which is a win, win situation.
Propagating
I had no idea that you could propagate some flower and vegetable plants. I've been having a lot of fun with this option and learning so much throughout the process. I tried this option with a tomato and zinnia plant. The tomato plant I started
in water, and the zinnia plant was direct sowed from a pinching. To be honest, I tried the directed sow method with the zinnia clippings, and it looked as if the plants had died. I added seeds to the pot, and about two weeks later some plants emerged from the spots. Which took me by total surprise.
Green House
This was my first year having a greenhouse. I've learned so much about the importance of monitoring the temps, and airflow.
Tip: You can easily purchase flower seeds that are prepared so all you have to do is place the seed tape on the soil, cover the seed tape with soil, and water the area. When I purchased this seed tape, I originally never heard of this type of option, and honestly, it's so convenient. I had a variety of plants that I sowed this way. This is perfect if you want a more convenient option.