It’s getting hot, hot, hot in my neck of the woods and my garden is getting ready to bust! Seriously, I feel like I have squash plants everywhere! I’ve harvested a healthy crop of lettuce at this point and should have another on the way soon. Everything is looking healthy and I can’t wait to taste everything here within the next few weeks! But unfortunately, there are still a lot of garden chores to get done before harvest time later in the summer. Here’s a list of the best things to do in the garden in August.
Gardener’s Almanac: A Monthly Guide To Gardening (August)
Divide Perennial Flowers
Moving outside of the vegetable garden now is a good time to divide perennial flowers like lily, daylily, and hostas. Divide ornamental grasses, as well. Use a spade to dig in, removing as much of the intact rootball as you can. Once removed from the ground, use some gardening scissors to break it apart into smaller pieces. Replant these as soon as possible, adding more color around your garden! Check out my full tutorial here.
Add Fall Color
Now is the time of year when most of my Spring flowers have died off, leaving my flower gardens to look dull. To combat the problem, I pick up some Fall favorites like chrysanthemum to carry my yard through the remainder of the season. Pick fall colors like pinks, oranges, and reds so they’ll look beautiful with the changing colors.
Harvest Herbs
Garden herbs are nearing the end of their growing season, and are about to flower and die off. Catch them before they flower, as that is when their flavor is the richest. Keep your herbs fresh all season by chopping them finely and freezing them in water-filled ice cube trays. Just melt when needed.
Potentially Fertilize
Depending on your grow zone, August is the perfect time to apply fertilizer to promote addition blooms throughout summer, but only if you live in the South. If you live up North, now is a good time to begin weaning them off fertilizer and other care to toughen them up for the winter months. This is so important, seriously!
Get Ready To Harvest Onions and Potatoes
Your onions and potatoes will be ready to harvest soon, so keep a close eye on them! As soon as the leaves brown and flop over, use a spade to dig around the plant and carefully lift to harvest. Once harvested, move the harvest to a shady, well-ventilated area to let them cure for a week. Store both in the dark, and never use green potatoes!
Leave a Reply