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Gardening in August

August is often one of the hottest and driest months of the year, reliably bringing the summer to a glorious close. An abundance of warm and dry weather means that there is a lot to do to keep our gardens looking at their best. Watering becomes a critical activity as we give plants a helping hand in the heat, the vegetable patch is cropping heavily, and the lawn is in full use as a place to relax in the sun.

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What vegetables are suitable to plant in August? August is the perfect time to consider fast-growing plants that can be harvested before the end of the year. These seeds can be directly sown into the soil outside to fill in any gaps left from previous harvests: Cucumbers Lettuce (romaine, watercress, mustard) Cabbage Carrots Onions Spinach Spring onions Radishes These will allow for a bountiful harvest in late fall and beyond. Plant any remaining kale, winter/spring cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts (if available). What vegetables can be harvested in August? August is a wonderful time in the vegetable garden. Your earlier efforts have paid off and you may harvest any or all of the following: Eggplant Beets Lima beans Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Chili peppers Zucchini Cucumbers Artichokes Lettuce Onions Peas Potatoes Radishes Turnips Summer squash Sweet peppers Sweet corn Tomatoes August vegetable maintenance As you harvest crops from the garden, also pay attention to performing the following tasks: Asparagus - Monitor closely for asparagus beetles, which will weaken future crops. Handpick them off or, if you're squeamish... squish them. Eggplants - Remove the top growing point to allow the plant to channel its energy into developing fruit. Beets - Gradually thin out plants, giving each about 8 cm (3 inches) of growing space. Use the leaves as they were intended and grind the smaller roots into a salad. Lima beans - Cut the plant to the ground once planting is complete. The roots will decay in the soil, providing nitrogen to other plants. Celery - Water well, wrap the stem in newspaper, then bury with soil. Zucchini - Choose them before they have a chance to turn into marrow when they are about 10 cm (4 inches) long. Water well and feed with tomato feed every two weeks. Peas - Cover with netting to protect them from birds or hang shiny objects nearby that will move in the wind to deter them. Sweet corn - Lightly tap the stem of each plant weekly to encourage pollination. At this time of year, blight can devastate tomato and potato crops. Watch for brown blotches on plants. Remove affected plant material immediately before it spreads to the edible portion of the plant. Hoe the vegetable garden to reduce competition from weeds. Hand weed asparagus, carrots, and beets as they are easily damaged.

What fruit to plant in August While there aren’t a lot of fruits that you can plant in August, strawberries can be planted in August to be overwintered and then produce larger crops in the summer. What fruit to harvest in August There are so many different fruits ripening in August. Relish eating them fresh from the plant, still warm from the summer sun. Depending on the variety grown, all of the following fruit can be harvested this month: Apricots Autumn raspberries Blackcurrants Cherries Grapes Mulberries Nectarines Peaches Plums Redcurrants Strawberries Most will not store well unless frozen, dried or cooked. There should be plenty more to come however, so enjoy them straight from the plant whilst thinking about what you might do with any surpluses. Fruit plant maintenance in August Wandering around the garden picking your homegrown fruit is also a good chance to check the same plants for pests and diseases. Some of the following may be noticeable at this time of year: Birds - net figs and late varieties of cherries to protect them from pecking. Brown rot - a fungal disease that can affect many different types of fruit. It can spread quickly. Remove any affected material, and plan to prune later in the year to improve air circulation. Codling moth caterpillars - damages apples and pears, you may find an exit hole on the fruit, and further tunnelling towards the centre. Pheromone traps should be used in the spring to trap the moths before they lay eggs on fruit. Wasps - if these are a problem, create a wasp trap to draw them away from the fruit. Pierce holes in the lid of an old jam jar, add a dollop of jam to the jar, put the top on and leave nearby - and away from areas you will visit frequently. Well-timed pruning of fruit is important to keep the plants productive. August is the correct time to prune: Supported apple and pear trees, for example cordons and espalier trained plants. Doing this in the summer helps to direct new growth in a way that retains the intended shape. Plum trees are best pruned when in full growth, and not in colder months when cuts can introduce disease. Remove Summer-fruiting raspberry canes which produced fruit earlier in the year. Those canes will be brown and woody. Newer canes are green and should be thinned to about 25cm (10in) apart. Other activities to keep you busy in the fruit patch in August include: Sever runners from old strawberry plants and move the new plants to a different location if the bed looks crowded. Strawberry plants need about 30cm (12in) space between them. Check netting on fruit bushes to ensure it is taut and secure enough to keep birds away from the fruit. Cut back foliage on grape vines to allow the sun to ripen bunches of fruit. Water any new fruit bushes and trees in spells of very hot weather. It is important that they can establish well to give you many years of productivity. Feed citrus plants, such as lemons and kumquats, with a special citrus plant food.

What trees and shrubs to plant in August Any plants which have been container grown can be planted out now, although they will need careful attention to survive the demands of a hot summer. Container-grown plants which you could plant out now include: Buddleia Camelias Ceanothus Deutzia Hydrangeas Roses If you can wait until later in the year to plant perennials, they will need less care and maintenance, leaving you free to concentrate on other activities in the garden. What trees and shrubs to prune in August Wisteria should be summer pruned to make sure that it does not start to enter crevices in walls and guttering. Remove any lateral shoots at the base and any straggly growth. Choisya, Lavender, Nepeta and Weigela should be pruned to a tidy shape, once they have finished flowering. Alchemilla, Delphinums and Hardy geraniums can be cut back to remove browning leaves. Tree and shrub maintenance in August Watering and weeding are the main activities to concentrate on in August: Newly planted container-grown perennials should be well watered in dry spells. Established perennial plants should only be watered only in very dry spells. They already have strong root systems that can withstand a period of drought. Bindweed can be a nuisance in established borders and should be removed as soon as you see it. The beautiful flowers can make it seem worth keeping, but there are other species of Convolvulus which are just as pretty but non-invasive. Keep on top of weeds by lightly hoeing the soil around shrubs. Do this on a sunny day to allow the weather to dry and shrivel them. Deadhead plants to encourage them to produce new flowers. Cut the flowerhead back to the nearest next flower bud. This will help the plant to produce more flowers.

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