When the hot days of summer are upon you, how do you tend to your garden to make sure that it thrives and that all of your hard work has paid off.

1) Fertilize container plants each time you water them. I really need to do this more regularly. My container plants always end up dying half way through the summer. It really is very sad.

2) Don’t over water your plants: The soil becomes waterlogged and plpants can’t survive in waterlogged soil because they can’t get oxygen. Stick to a watering schedule which might be something like every like every four days. In your container plants use water holding crystals or buy self watering containers. These will help you achieve the balance between under and over watering your plants.

3) Measure the amount of water you are actually giving to your plants. If you are using a sprinkler system, set out a small container to catch water. After the watering cycle use a ruler to measure the depth. You want about 1″ each time.

4) Stop pruning, increases new growth and stresses the plants which is not good in heat when your plants are already stressed. I have a hard time with this one because once everything blooms and has leaves out, that is when I really can see where the pruning needs to occur.

5) Stop planting: The survival rate of new plantings drops dramatically as temperatures increase.

6) My children’s favorite: Cut back on mowing the lawn. When you do cut the lawn, set the blades high to prevent stress on grass. Remember the taller grass will survive the sun’s scorching rays better.

7) Keep gardens well mulched. The mulch helps hold the moisture in the soil.

Following these seven tips will hopefully lead you to a more successful garden this summer.