How to Vegetable Garden in the Month of August
How to vegetable garden in August.
How to vegetable garden in August depends upon your local climate to some extent. and August is another month of plenty in the vegetable garden.
In warmer areas it will be possible to get away with late sowings but in cooler regions it might be a case of you can as long as you accept that there is a risk involved. The risk is that there may not be enough warm weather to come to get crops to maturity.
Growing Tomatoes
Those tasty fresh ripe tomatoes will be coming thick and fast now.
Without a doubt there is nothing like the taste of the tomatoes freshly picked from your own vines.
Enjoy the abundant harvest and harvest those tomatoes that are ripening daily.
It is advisable to water well during dry spells as irregular watering can lead to problems with blossom end rot .
Mainly for outdoor tomatoes, but not exclusively, potato blight can be a real problem and nuisance. Take off any infected leaves and fruits as soon as seen or suspected. If you are lucky you may manage to get some tomatoes ripe to eat.
If you have several tomato plants close together outside in the garden soil and blight shows on one plant it might be better to dispose of the whole plant rather than risk cross infection.
Also look for ghost spot, blotchy ripening and greenback. These problems with ripening can be caused by heat damage, lack of feeding or water. However it is a genetic tendency in some tomato varieties.
It must be stressed that when growing your own tomatoes, most problems are avoided with sensible care and good housekeeping regime.
Quick Maturing Crops for Late Summer
As mentioned at the beginning of how to vegetable garden in August, the following will very much depend upon where you garden:
In warmer areas you can still sow quick maturing salad crops such as:
- Summer Lettuce
- Radish
- Rocket
- Sorrel
- Chicory
- Fennel
Continue to sow:
- Spring Cabbage
- Turnips
- Oriental Vegetables
- Overwintering Onions
If you are luck enough to have a greenhouse, try sowing salad leaf crops such as:
- Lettuce
- Matzuna
- Rocket
- Greek Cress
- Golden Purslane
in seed trays on the greenhouse benching. Sow thinly, grow to maturity in the seed trays and graze the young leaves as a cut and cum again crop.
Regularly pick fast maturing vegetables such as:
- French Beans
- Runner Beans
- Courgettes
- Cucumbers
This will prevent stringiness or toughness and encourage further cropping.
Growing Onions, Shallots and Garlic
Lift onions, shallots and garlic when ready.
The time to harvest is when the necks start to turn brown and papery and bend over naturally.
Do not bend over the necks before they are ready. Doing so can result in the introduction of disease.
After harvesting let the tops dry until they rustle like brown paper and then remove them.
Enjoy your onion crops when freshly picked or store carefully for later use.
It is recommended that stored onions be checked at regular intervals for softness and the grey or black mould of neck rot.
Distortion of plants and rotting of stored onions may be caused by eelworm
Good and annual crop rotation is the best prevention.
Carrots and Carrot Fly
Continue to thin out carrots as necessary.
The thinnings are delicious to eat and the small fresh carrots will possibly only need a scrubbing rather than peeling before cooking.
Take care when thinning out late-sown carrot seedlings to prevent the scent released attracting carrot fly females.
Marrows
Raise marrows slightly raised off the soil surface as this will help to prevent them rotting from soil contact.
To help the marrows mature remove some older leaves to maximise sun exposure.
Growing Celery
Continue to earth up celery.
The best method is to put a layer of paper between the stems and the soil.
Harvesting Potatoes and Potato Blight Control
In August finish harvesting second early potatoes. This is essential as if the weather becomes wet slugs become very active and many tubers can be damaged.
Potato blight can be a real problem.
Continue with potato blight control to prevent further infection of the potato crop.
Infected haulms of blighted potatoes must be cut off and burned but the the good news is that the tubers can still be harvested.
Sweetcorn
Harvest sweetcorn as it ripens.
How to test if the sweetcorn is ready to pick?
When the tassels at the end of the cob start to shrivel and brown push a fingernail into the kernel. If the liquid is milky it is time to pick and enjoy.
Herbs
Golden Marjoram or Oregano
Parsley can be sown in August, in warmer regions, for cropping during the winter.
Take cuttings of rosemary, bay and hyssop.
Pot up your favourite culinary herbs and take into the house for use during autumn and winter.
Cut back flowered herbs such as marjoram by cutting them back to encourage a second flush.
See also:
How to vegetable Garden in July
How to Vegetable Garden in September
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