Top Three Job’s for August
As we hit the peak of summer, August is all about enjoying the fruits of your labor while keeping things tidy. It’s a month of bountiful harvests and preparing for a stunning show in the autumn. Here are three key jobs to tackle in your UK garden this month.
1. Prune Your Plants
August is the perfect time for some strategic pruning to keep your garden in shape. You’ll want to tackle several key plants:
Wisteria: Give your wisteria its summer prune by cutting back long, whippy side shoots to about five to six leaves. This keeps the growth in check and encourages more flower buds for next spring. It’s a simple job that makes a big difference to next year’s display.
Trained Fruit Trees: If you have apples and pears trained as cordons, espaliers, or fans, give them a summer prune now. This involves shortening new side shoots to three leaves above the basal cluster, which helps ripen the fruit and encourages new buds for next year.
Lavender: After your lavender has finished flowering, give it a trim. Cut back the faded flower stems and a small amount of the leafy growth below to prevent the plant from becoming woody and leggy.
2. Get Harvesting!
This is the month you’ve been waiting for! The vegetable patch is in full swing, and regular harvesting is key to getting the most out of your crops.
Tomatoes, Courgettes, and Beans: These are likely producing a huge amount of fruit right now. The more you pick, the more the plant will produce, so make harvesting a daily or every-other-day task.
Onions and Potatoes: Your onions are ready when their foliage turns yellow and flops over. Gently ease them out of the soil and leave them to dry or “cure” in a sunny, airy spot for a few days before storing them. You can also begin to lift second-early potatoes this month.
3. Keep Everything Hydrated and Happy
With long, warm days, watering is a top priority, especially for plants in pots and those you’ve recently planted.
Watering: Containers and newly planted specimens can dry out very quickly. Water them thoroughly in the early morning or evening to minimize evaporation. Using rainwater from a water butt is a great, eco-friendly way to keep your plants happy.
Feeding: Continue to feed heavy-fruiting plants like tomatoes and courgettes weekly with a liquid fertiliser to support their bountiful production.
Deadheading: Don’t forget to remove spent flower heads from perennials and annuals like roses, dahlias, and cosmos. This not only keeps your garden looking tidy but also encourages the plants to produce more blooms well into the autumn.