Complete These Gardening Challenges in August to Get Ready for the End of the Season.
By the time August rolls around, it might seem like you can switch to garden autopilot without worrying about watering, weeding, and harvesting. But in reality, there is a lot you can (and probably should) do this month to make sure your garden can withstand the runout through the end of summer and be ready by the start of fall. Here are five tasks gardeners should add to their August, regardless of planting zone and region, courtesy of Helen Greiner, CEO of Tertill (robot weeding).
1. Remove the season-ready plants.
Each plant has its own life cycle, and if you have some of them in your garden that are out of their prime (that is, they no longer bear fruit this season or have been damaged by heat, rain, disease or animals), it’s time to move them out. … “Be a little ruthless, especially if it frees up enough space for a second crop,” explains Greiner in a statement emailed to Lifehacker.
2. Fill in the holes.
At this point, there are probably some parts of your garden that look a little sparse – after all, you’ve just removed a few plants. To make up for that and make sure you make the most of your garden, Greiner suggests planting some fast-growing crops in their place. “Some plants that can still be planted in the late summer months are spinach, radish, lettuce and arugula,” she says.
3. SOS (keep outstanding seeds)
Think back to your harvest this year. Was the fruit or vegetables tastier than usual? If so, save their seeds so you can plant them next year. In fact, according to Greiner, many types of seeds can last anywhere from two to five years, depending on how you store them.
“ For best results, place the seeds in glass jars with desiccant and store them in the refrigerator,” she explains. “If you don’t have extra space in the refrigerator, you can also put the seeds in glass jars and store them in shoe boxes in the coolest, driest place in your home.”
4. Collect new flowers from fruits and vegetables.
As the season draws to a close, Greiner recommends removing any new flowers that sprout on plants such as melons, pumpkins, and tomatoes. “This will make the plant concentrate on the fruit that has already set, making it bigger and better,” she says. And, as a bonus, some vegetable buds – like those that grow on a pumpkin – are edible .
5. Watch out for diseases.
If you live in an area that gets particularly hot and humid during August, Greiner believes you should be on the lookout for signs of potential illness. This is because fungal diseases like powdery mildew love hot, sticky weather.
“ To prevent this, cut off diseased leaves and don’t put them in the compost heap, if you have one,” she explains. “Wipe down your pruning shears and wash your gloves to prevent the spread of disease. It is also in your garden’s best interest not to plant the same vegetable in the same spot next year. ”