Complete gardening tasks in August to ensure fruitful flowers and vegetable plots
August is a crucial month for gardeners, as it's the time to start preparing for the cooler seasons. Aaron Bertelsen and Benjamin Pope, renowned horticulturists, offer their expert advice on the recommended gardening tasks for both flower and kitchen gardens.
For the Kitchen Garden
Sowing hardy autumn and winter salads and leaves such as lettuces ('Winter Density' and 'Winter Gem'), mustard ('Red Frills'), rocket, and lamb's lettuce ('Favor') is highly recommended. These will grow for autumn, winter, and early spring harvesting, especially if given some protection like fleece or a polytunnel. Sow beetroot for hardy leaves good for salads, oriental brassicas, and perpetual spinach, which benefit from cooler temperatures and reduced likelihood of bolting. Chinese cabbage, pak choi, mibuna, and mizuna are also ideal for sowing, ideally in a slightly shaded spot if temperatures remain high.
For the Flower Garden
Continue sowing biennials such as foxgloves and verbascums, as these can still be planted to grow quickly during cooler months. While specific flower varieties for August aren't mentioned in the retrieved materials, based on July advice, flowers for summer interest and succession planting are emphasized.
Preparing for the Cooler Seasons
August is also the perfect time to sow beetroot for roots to develop and leaves to provide a colorful addition to autumn and winter salads. Leafy crops such as Swiss chard and kale should be cleaned up to improve air circulation and prevent white fly and moulds.
Protecting Your Garden
It's essential to provide suitable microclimate protections to extend the growing season. Tomatoes other than 'Crimson Crush' should be sprayed with an organic copper spray or one containing baking soda to prevent blight. Maincrop potatoes should be lifted on a warm, sunny day to allow the skins to dry out before storage. Fennel can be sown under glass in August to reduce the risk of drying out and bolting.
Planning Ahead
Don't forget to plan ahead for help in the garden, especially for watering and harvesting. Now is the perfect time to cut back lavender, remove most of the new growth, and use the flowers for arrangements, cooking, or fragrant oils. Tender perennials can be propagated by taking semiripe cuttings, such as Helichrysum petiolare and Pelargonium tomentosum.
Summer Radishes and Onions
There is still time to get summer and winter radishes into the ground. This is also a good time to sow onion seed and thin the seedlings for use in salads. Allium cepa 'White Lisbon' is recommended as an onion variety that does well in heavy clay soil.
Harvesting Early Apples
Early apples can be harvested if the stem comes away from the branch.
Improving Tomato Ripening
Getting tomatoes to ripen can be improved by maximizing sunlight, reducing blight risk, and pinching out diagonal shoots and tops.
Planning for Spring-Flowering Bulbs
Plan spring-flowering bulbs now and start ordering from online nurseries to ensure fresh delivery for autumn planting.
[1] Source: Gardeners' World Magazine [2] Source: RHS
Plants such as 'Winter Density' and 'Winter Gem' lettuces, mustard, rocket, lamb's lettuce, Chinese cabbage, pak choi, mibuna, mizuna, and beetroot are ideal for sowing in the kitchen garden during August, as they grow well and can be harvested during cooler seasons.
In the flower garden, gardeners can continue to sow biennials like foxgloves and verbascums, which grow quickly and bloom during the cooler months.
To protect plants and extend the growing season, it's essential to provide suitable microclimate protections, such as organic copper spray or baking soda for tomatoes, and taking precautions like lifting maincrop potatoes on a warm sunny day to allow skins to dry before storage.
