Mid-Season Veggie Garden Maintenance: Peas, Beans, Tomatoes & Garlic

Once your garden is planted and growing, it’s easy to think the hard work is over—but this is where the real magic (and maintenance) begins. A thriving garden isn't just about planting at the right time; it's about showing up consistently, observing, and making small, intentional adjustments that lead to bigger harvests and healthier plants.

Here are four essential garden maintenance tasks that can make a world of difference in your veggie beds this season: thinning, trellising, training, and scape-snipping.

🌱 1. Thinning Peas and Beans for Better Airflow

It can feel counterintuitive to remove perfectly healthy seedlings, but thinning is crucial—especially for peas and beans that were direct sown and sprouted close together.

Why It Matters:

• Prevents overcrowding and poor airflow (which can lead to mildew)

• Reduces nutrient competition

• Encourages stronger, more productive plants

How to Do It:

• Wait until seedlings are 3–4 inches tall

• Snip with scissors at the soil line rather than pulling (to avoid root disturbance)

• Space peas about 2 inches apart and bush beans 4–6 inches apart

If it’s hard to toss them—toss them into a salad. Tender young pea shoots are edible!

🍅 2. Training Tomatoes on Their Trellis

Whether you’re using a Florida weave, vertical string, or cattle panel arch, tomatoes perform best when trained and supported. It reduces disease, keeps fruits off the ground, and helps the plant put energy into fruit—not flopping.

Steps to Train Tomatoes:

• Use soft garden twine or clips to tie the main stem to the support loosely

• Prune suckers (the little shoots in the “elbow” between the stem and a branch) on indeterminate varieties to direct growth upward

• Check and re-tie every week as the plant grows

Bonus tip: Add mulch at the base after training to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

🧄 3. Removing Garlic Scapes for Bigger Bulbs

If you're growing hardneck garlic, you’ll notice curly green shoots starting to spiral out of the center in late spring to early summer. These are scapes, and removing them is key to redirecting energy to the bulb underground.

How to Remove Them:

• Use clean garden scissors to snip at the base once they’ve made 1–2 full curls

• Don’t wait too long—they get woody fast!

• Use them in stir fry, pesto, compound butter, or freeze for soups

Fun fact: Scapes are a seasonal delicacy—once you try them, you’ll look forward to them every year.

🫘 4. Tidying Up Beans (Pole or Bush)

Even after thinning, your beans may need some help:

• Pole beans should be gently twined around their trellis or supported with clips

• Bush beans benefit from side-dressing compost or a compost tea mid-season for sustained production

Also take a minute to:

• Remove any yellowing leaves at the base

• Check for aphids or beetles

• Water at the base in the morning (never overhead)

🌿 Final Thoughts

Consistent garden maintenance is what turns a good season into a great harvest. These small tasks—thinning, training, pruning, and tidying—help your plants thrive and give you a deeper connection to your garden’s rhythm.

Let me know in the comments what stage your garden is in right now—and tag me on Instagram when you harvest your first garlic scapes!