Now is the time to tend to your veggies so don’t relax just yet

Summer is here and it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the garden, right? Not if you’re looking to maximize your vegetable harvest.

July can be a busy time in the vegetable garden and presents a small window of opportunity to make the most of a gardening space.

Some spring-planted crops are likely finishing up this month, so harvest them before they are past their prime.

Use up lettuce while it’s still delicious. Hotter days will make it produce flowers, also called bolting, and it will turn bitter. Unless you want to collect seeds, clear it out of beds when flowers start to develop.

The same goes for other leafy greens like spinach and arugula.

Stay on top of tomato plants, making sure they are staked properly, and start looking for suckers­ — new branches that develop between the main stem and a lateral branch — and remove them.

Pepper plants and eggplants will also likely need some support, so give them a hand before they topple over and take the developing fruit with them.

Peas are likely finished by now, but if they are still around they can be removed, and radishes and cilantro will be bolting shortly as well.

Garlic that was planted last fall will also probably be ready for harvest in late July. Look for the leaves to start turning yellow and drying out. When the bottom two to four leaves are browned and about four to five green leaves remain on top, dig up a test bulb to make sure the cloves are well defined. When it’s time for harvest, wait for a dry day to make it easier to brush the soil off.

All of this will make room for more plants. Bush beans will germinate quickly. If you plan on using them for eating fresh, sow some every week for an extended harvest and to avoid a glut of them at one time.

You can also still plant cucumbers and even summer squash, although you’ll want to look for varieties that mature quickly. These should both germinate easily at this time of year.

Throw some dill seeds and cilantro seeds in as well, as these will replace the plants that have already bolted in the garden. You’ll appreciate the dill particularly if you planted cucumbers.

Carrots and beets can also be sown in the space that’s opened up in the garden.

All of these seeds, however, will need consistent moisture, so plan on a light daily watering until they germinate and get past the tiny seedling stage.

Some seedlings will do better with a bit of shade, so don’t hesitate to use the shady corners of the garden at the base of trellises or the north side of taller growing plants.

July might feel like a good time to kick back with the latest beach read, but you’ll be thanking yourself for paying a little extra attention in the vegetable garden in late summer and fall when you’re enjoying a bountiful harvest.