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My August Garden To Do List

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Donna Urso
My Little Vegetable Garden
For the first time in many, many years I had a little vegetable garden this year.  It was great fun getting the garden going, watching my seedling turn into full grown plants and harvesting the bounty.

But now it is August.  The dog days of summer have left a toll on my little garden and a bunny is slowly eating away my second planting of green beans.






Do you have a garden?  Here is my August To Do list.  What's on your list this month?

  • Keep Harvesting your Vegetables. Even if you’ve gotten tired of zucchini, it’s important to keep picking those plants. Be happy if your plants are still producing.  I had to pull mine out.  Disease, bugs, who knows what...My squash was NOT successful this year.  Just throw those big squashes right onto your compost pile. Many other vegetables can be frozen for use all year-long. Be sure to keep tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables harvested.  Throw the ones that have fallen to the ground on your compost pile rather than letting them rot in place.
Pick Those Tomatoes
 
  • Fall is Coming.  When a section of your garden has stopped producing pull the plants up and apply some compost to that area so you can plant it later for a fall crop.   Fall crops to plant now are peas, spinach, lettuce and broccoli.
  • Keep Deadheading. Are your annuals and perennials beginning to look raggedy?  Mine sure are.  Keep deadheading your flowers.  This means that you will break off a withered, spent bloom from the plant. It keeps the plants directing energy towards more blooms and foliage, rather than trying to set seed.  Try cutting back your annuals pretty heavily now.  They may perk right up and give another bloom cycle.   I've done it.  It works.
  • Weed, Weed, Did I Say Weed? Weeds will try to go to seed this month, which will make your weeding tasks even harder in the future.   Pull those babies up NOW.
  • It's Time to Enrich the Garden. Many of your plants will benefit from a topdressing of compost. 
  • Pick Your Herbs. Many of your herbs will start to bolt (bloom) this month. It's time to either use them or dry them.
  • Time to Divide and Replant Irises.  Don't you love irises?  Be sure not to replant them too deeply; keep the rhizomes just barely below the surface and make sure they are watered in well.
My June Irises
What's on your August garden To Do List?

Comments

  1. QuiltingrannyAugust 11, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    It all looks yummy. I only have Strawberry plants this year. My August to do list is get my grands ready for school and get the final paperwork done for a new job! Enjoy the end of summer!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Empty NesterAugust 11, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    We're still picking peppers and the last of the tomatoes. Not a single squash, zucchini or cucumber plant made it this year. I was devastated! Not sure what happened there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Donna UrsoAugust 11, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    EmptyNester, it sure is disappointing when something doesn't work out. I am disappointed about my yellow squash and zucchini.
    Quiltingranny, the chipmunks got all of my strawberries. Maybe I ate one. :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. ElizabethAugust 11, 2011 at 12:10 PM

    Wish I had a garden... =( and can you believe the summer is nearing the end?

    ReplyDelete
  5. kris {life at the table}August 11, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    very helpful! i feel like although it is august, we are only seeing some of our plants begin to gear up...crazy how different our climates are! now that i am one year in, i am definitely going to be more proactive about composting too so that it's perfect for next year's bed. wahoo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. RobinAugust 11, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    I had a very successful container vegetable garden. Lots of lettuce from May to Early July. 24 medium sized tomatoes from one plant which is now over 6 feet tall and loaded with a second harvest. 10 jalapenoes from one plant with 10-12 more on the way. 2 batches of pesto made already with one more harvest of basil soon. And lots of fresh parsley. Of course, my fresh veggie inventory has been enhanced by red onions, radishes, and green beans from your garden!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chasing JoyAugust 11, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    Thanks for all the advice. #commenthour.

    ReplyDelete

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