July Planting

July planting in Arizona is a great way to prepare for the fall and winter. I started my monsoon garden on the 12th of July. I spent about an hour or so in the heat planting seeds in my raised bed and the ground around my yard. My raised bed is a U shape, about 8ft x 7ft and almost 1 ½ ft deep. Besides the surviving but not thriving strawberries I bought from Lowe’s a few months back, I planted in this bed: traditional cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, okra, glass gem corn, and also scattered marigold seeds from seed pods I had saved from my spring flowers. July Planting can be tough, but I also sowed directly into the ground jack-o-lantern pumpkins, mini-striped pumpkins, sugar baby watermelons, and giant sunflowers.

The corn was the first to sprout. The small green shoots poking through the dark mulch are a nice contrast. The okra followed right behind them, and soon after, I had one cucumber and two lemon cucumber sprouts. Every morning, I go out to water all the new sprouts. This is where July planting can get difficult. 13 of my estimated 25 glass gem corn sprouts are torn out, scattered, and shriveling on the hot surface. I would guess it was birds. A few days later, and a new staple gun in hand, I covered what I could with the small amount of shade cloth I had.

I thought everything else in the yard would be fine since the dirt is much harder. Remember, July planting is hard. The birds took eight watermelons from under the large pomegranate tree and all the jack-o-lanterns. The pumpkins were planted in a grassy area, but the birds were too clever for me. I understand a bird’s gotta eat, but I am not their chef! After a quick replanting, the waiting begins again. However, I am super proud of this tiny watermelon. Go, little rockstar.