07/31/2026
August Gardening Tips!
You will want to begin to prepare your garden for the fall planting season. Remove all previous plant remains from the spring. If you are planting potatoes, you can plant crop just after harvesting the spring crop and they will be ready to harvest in late October, early November. It will be fine to plant seeds of carrots, kale, lettuce, radish, spinach and turnips as well. Plant your seeds at least 1 inch in the ground to allow for a good root development before the first sprouts appear.
We will have cold crops coming closer to the middle of the month.
Go ahead and fertilize your strawberry bed for next years crop. Use Espoma's Berry Tone at 1 cup per foot of branch spread. Double it if the spread is 3 foot or more. You can also use this fertilizer for blueberries, blackberries, raspberries as well. You will also want to maintain adequate watering to all berries. A slow, soaking of water around the plants during August dry spells will ensure a good fruit bud production and a good crop for next spring. You will also need to water your fruit trees in August, especially peach trees. Adequate watering about 2 weeks before the tree is to be harvested will get the flesh to swell and result in large fruit.
Keep an eye out for powdery mildew on your vine type vegetable crops this time of year. It will cause yellow to dark areas on the upper surface of older leaves and on the under-side of the leaf you will see patches of white or gray colored mold. To help control it, rotate the location where they are planted each year and give plenty of space in between the plants to allow for good air flow. Be sure to dispose of any infected plants at the end of the growing season to prevent the disease from over-wintering in the next growing season. Be sure to use a fungicide once the plant is infected, that contains copper, which is the best and only effective product available to home gardens and is also approved for organic gardening.
Make sure you dead head your annuals and remove dead stalks from your perennials. Leave the birds some seed heads if you would enjoy watching them. Pull weeds before they go to seed. If you are thinking of pollinators, leave them some blooms and a pebble dish for them to drink.
Take some cuttings from your houseplants while they are growing quickly. Check all your plants for spider mites before you bring them in and be sure to rotate them for even growth.
