8 Early Summer Garden Chores That Matter Most

Be sure to stay on top of these early summer garden chores to avoid missed opportunities for plant propagation and prevent small issues from turning into big problems.

If time has slipped away, this lists what to get done mid-summer before the cool weather sets in.

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Top-Priority Garden Chores

Summer Solstice

Summer solstice is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight and the shortest night. In the Northern Hemisphere, it usually occurs around June 20 or 21. It marks the official start of astronomical summer, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer. After the solstice, daylight hours begin to gradually shorten.

Early summer brings long daylight hours, warm soil, and steady growth—clear signs that the main gardening season is well underway. With the last frost behind us, there’s a short but important window to tackle key tasks that can have a lasting impact.

By making these chores a priority now, you’ll avoid common problems and make the most of opportunities that won’t come around again until next year.

Here are some suggestions:

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1Check your garden every day

Alongside reliable garden resources, nothing beats time spent in the garden for learning how plants grow and change. Daily observation lets you spot new growth, track progress, and catch potential pests or problems early—especially in early summer when everything is developing quickly.

I always carry my phone to snap photos and jot down notes. Google Lens is also handy for identifying unfamiliar plants and insects.

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2 Train climbing plants regularly

If you’ve ever grown fast-growing vines, you know. Climbing plants like beans, tomatoes, grapes, clematis, can get tangled and messy fast without consistent guidance.

While it’s best to get trellis and support posts in place prior to planting, you may need to play catch up while they grow.

Prune away excess growth (if advised for each individual plant) and tie stems in place to encourage well-formed, healthy plants. This will help make everything healthier, nicer-looking, and more productive.

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3Support tall bloomers

Taller plants like delphiniums often need supports (like bamboo canes) to prevent their top-heavy flower stems from breaking. Include them in your daily checks to avoid mishaps.

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4Propagate cuttings

Early summer is the time for propagating flowering annuals, native plants, and softwood cuttings. Plants like coleus, begonia, geranium (Pelargonium), and zinnia root especially well from cuttings taken now.

What are herbaceous plants?

Herbaceous plants are non-woody plants that have soft, green stems that die back to the ground at the end of the growing season.

Herbaceous plant cuttings root quickly at this time of year but they are also more vulnerable to drying out.

Keep your cuttings in a protected location (like a covered patio or porch) where you can check on them daily and water as needed.

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5Protect vulnerable crops from summer stress

Beware that intense sun and peak temperatures are tough on many vegetable crops, especially cool-season ones like radish, spinach, arugula, and cilantro.

What is bolting?

It’s called bolting when a vegetable produces flowering stems earlier than expected, before we’ve had a chance to harvest the crop.

While bolting is not entirely preventable, things like shade covers, mulch, and timely harvesting can help slow it down.

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6Order seeds

If your spring vegetable crops are finishing up, be sure you have seeds or transplants (young plants) on hand for succession planting.

What is succession planting?

Succession planting simply means sowing new seeds in the same space where a crop just finished for ongoing productivity.

Do not worry about rotating crops (this explains why). Just provide the recommended growing conditions and your veggies should do fine.

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7Keep new plantings watered

Unless you have really consistent rain, any new plants will likely need routine watering until the roots are well established.

Along with mulch to help keep the soil moist, larger plants like shrubs, trees, and hedges in particular will need nice, deep waterings that reach the entire root ball. 

Lack of water is the top reason things like new cedar hedges fail. Protect your investments and stay on top of the watering. A drip irrigation system like this one can help.

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8Maintain your compost pile

We can’t talk about priorities without a shoutout to the compost pile. Summer is prime time for food scraps in the compost bin to decompose into a lovely soil amendment.

Keep adding greens and browns (using this guide) and turn the pile on a regular basis. When it looks like rich, earthy soil, add it to your garden beds where it will gradually replenish nutrients.

There’s always more to do—that’s the nature of gardening—but these are good tips to seize the summer growing season before it’s done.

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Resources

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛