Gardening with Daddy Pete: July Gardening Tips - Ep. 136 - June 25, 2026

Late June is the right time to get serious about summer garden planning, and this episode of Gardening with Daddy Pete is packed with practical July gardening tips for the Piedmont and beyond. Melvin York and Jay York walk through what you can still plant now, what needs to wait, and how to time your crops before the first fall frost. They cover days to maturity, average frost dates, and why your seed packet matters more than guesswork. You'll hear useful ranges for bush beans, pole beans, bell peppers, hot peppers, okra, pumpkins, summer squash, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes, plus a few notes on how variety changes the timeline. The conversation also covers smart ways to use your space. If you've got a smaller garden or raised beds, you'll want to hear the tip about planting corn and following with beans. That simple setup can help you get more out of the same ground. Pruning gets plenty of attention too. This episode explains which plants can be pruned in June and July, including certain evergreens, gardenias, roses, chrysanthemums, and fruit trees. You'll also hear a clear rule for pruning, don't remove more than 30% of a tree or shrub at one time. That advice can save you from losing healthy plants to stress or disease. If you're tracking your garden by the season, this is the kind of episode you'll want to keep close. Take notes, check your local frost dates, and compare what worked well during heat and dry spells so you can plan better next year. Visit Daddy Pete's Plant Pleaser® at https://www.daddypetes.com to find the podcast, sign up for the newsletter, and send in your questions. #GardeningTips #JulyGardening #VegetableGarden #PruningTips #DaddyPetesPlantPleaser