August Gardening To-Dos

In the Garden

• Water, weed and spread fresh organic compost.
• Perform summer pruning on trees and shrubs by mid-August.
• Divide iris and early poppies.
• Lightly prune Japanese maples.
• Bait for slugs and monitor for diseases and pests.

Fruits & Veggies

• Fertilize and water strawberry plants after harvest.
• Pull finished crops, replenish soil with fresh organic compost and replant.
• Sow fall beets, spinach and turnips in the first week of September.
• Plant July-sown crops.
• Keep planting successive leaf lettuce, radishes, overwintering spinach and Swiss chard all month.
• Transplant fall vegetable starts, including lettuce, cabbage, kale, broccoli and brussels sprouts.

In the Lawn

• Water and mow to about 2” – 2.5”.
• Survey the lawn, planning which areas need fall renovation.
• Eliminate lawns on steep slopes and replace with soil stabilizing evergreen ground covers.

Around the House

• Enjoy time on the deck and patio with your flowering containers and surrounding garden.
• Gather family and friends and grill up your garden veggies.
• Purchase spring-blooming bulbs towards the end of the month.
• Visit farmers’ markets and u-pick farms and prepare the extra bounty for your freezer to enjoy a bite of summer during winter.
• Continue indoor plant care. Mist leaves and water.