With a bounty of glorious pickings to choose from, you can’t be blamed for taking your eye off the prize slightly in August and spending a bit more time cooking and utilising your crop. Hopefully a glut of vegetables will be pushing your creative juices in the kitchen but be careful as lots can still go wrong in the garden in August.
Pests & Diseases
While August is a time for homegrown rejoicing, the wee beasties, pests and diseases are also out harvesting, enjoying and often ruining the fruits of our labour.
Careful plot and pot planning at the beginning of the year can certainly help alleviate or minimise pests and diseases but vigilance is key, especially when your crops are laden with produce.
Tips
• Check the condition of your plants regularly so you can deal with signs of stress or any invaders.
• Encourage ‘good’ bugs – ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies are terrific aphid exterminators, spiders work hard catching all kinds of fly, while beetles and centipedes love to devour slugs and bugs.
• Planting wildflowers and companion planting can attract the good bugs and pollinators.
• Use good quality netting and mesh to stop birds and insects gaining access.
- Water correctly – over and under watering can lead to diseases and problems.
- Soil management is critical. Dig in compost and keep an eye out for signs of distress on your plants. This could be due to a lack of nutrients in the soil.
- Rotate your crops each year – some plants will deplete soils of certain nutrients.
- Choose disease resistant seeds.
- Don’t add any diseased plants to the compost.
During August, berries, tomatoes, celery and courgettes will need more regular attention.
Water
Just like humans are at risk of dehydration or heatstroke in the hotter months, plants can also become stressed and even wither away if they don’t get enough water, especially in August when people often head off on holiday.
There is no one rule fits all when it comes to watering – it generally depends on the weather and the vegetable or fruit so make sure you do your research and have a water plan in place for your plot.
• Keep a close eye on your plants – they will give you visual signs if things aren’t well.
• Water at the end of the day when it is coolest to avoid water evaporation.
• Rather than daily sprinkles, plants generally prefer a weekly or two-weekly deep soak if there hasn’t been any rain.
• During August, berries, tomatoes, celery and courgettes will need more regular attention.
• If you’re growing in pots or containers, check them daily because the soil can dry out and stress more quickly.
• Before watering, try probing the soil to see how moist it is 20cm beneath the surface. Sometimes it appears dry on top but can be saturated underneath.
• Make sure you weed regularly because they’ll only steal the water.
• Peat compost isn’t great for the environment and also can dry out too much so steer clear.
Green fingered friends
Growing can be a great social endeavour and after seven months of hard toil, there is nothing better than using your veggies, herbs and fruits as the centrepiece for a summer celebration.
Get your visitors, guests, neighbours and other local growers involved to toast your success, share tips and swap produce and recipe ideas.
Having a local growing community is also useful for the summer months to cover holidays and keep your kitchen garden growing. Make water treaties and pacts to ensure someone is around to water your prized produce and plot.
Jobs for August
• Harvest, harvest, harvest – it’s the sweet spot of summer where everything should be ripe for picking.
• Berry picking – late season cherries, the first blackberries and so much more whether you’re picking from your plot or foraging.
• Weed and tidy to help keep pests
at bay.
• Dig up your maincrop of potatoes.
• Watch out for tomato and potato blight.
• Sow quick maturing lettuce, chicory, salads, carrots, oriental vegetables and turnips now for a winter crop.
• Tie up and support your tomato, pepper and cucumber plants as they grow and become heavy with fruit.
• Plant new strawberry plants for a bumper crop next June.
If you’ve started growing in the past year, we want to hear your kitchen gardening stories. Get in touch and share your successes, learnings and tips by emailing editor@stiritupmagazine.co.uk or tagging us on Instagram @stiritupmag.
