July in the garden is not for the faint of heart! It’s not the most pleasant month in the garden because of the heat, but spending some time in the early morning is a great way to beat the heat and get some time outdoors. I've made a list for you according to what I do here in my zone 6b/7a garden. By no means is it exhaustive, but it can give you a good idea of what you can plan to do this month in your garden.

Zinnias at Sego Lily Flower Farm in July

Outside-

Harvest! You’ve got to harvest or deadhead to keep those summer blooms going. Shoot for two to three times a week to get the blooms (and veggies) at just the right stage.
Deadheading is an important task in the cut flower garden, but you want to do it a little differently than you would in a landscape. Cut your old blooms down deep so that the fresh new growth will be on long usable stems. Deadhead any seed pods that you don’t want going to seed.
Keep weeding! I like to give myself a small daily goal of pulling weeds in just one area or snagging any weeds going to bloom. Then I’ll have a longer early morning or late evening session about once a week to keep things under control. This is when you are really grateful if you spent time weeding and mulching earlier in the season.
Take some time to enjoy your garden! Sit on a bench, swing in a hammock, watch the sunset or sunrise.
Train your veggies. If you are growing on a trellis or cattle panel take a moment every day or two to train vining plants like tomatoes or cucumbers up the trellis
Adjust your watering. It’s hot, your plants probably need more water than any other time of year.
Keep your birdbaths full of fresh clean water. Not only will the birds thank you but so will the thirsty beneficial insects.

A cucumber vine trained up a cattle panel trellis.

Inside-

Take notes of when varieties bloomed, any pest issues, flowers that you wish you had more of and those that you maybe had too much of, even your favorite color combos. You’ll be glad you have the notes when you go to plan next years garden.
Make sure you put on your sunscreen before heading out to the yard!
Order the bulbs you want to add to your garden in the fall. Some suppliers will offer a discount if ordered early.

Seeds to start -

Direct sown flowers- early in the month you have time to plant zinnias and sunflowers.
Indoors- look for any “cool season” flower seeds that you would like to fall plant, order them now to start indoors in August.
You can try veggies like zucchini if they have a short days to maturity.

Happy gardening in July! See you with a new list in August.