Here are a few
suggestions for August gardening:
Don't do anything more than you
absolutely must.
If the monsoon
rains have been stingy in your area of town you might want to
make sure your trees and shrubs
are getting enough water to get them through the rest of the
summer. The monsoons cannot be relied on to water your garden.
Wind and no rain. Those dry monsoons might blow through town with
hefty gusts of wind. Be sure you
double check your staked trees after a storm to make sure they
haven't blown over. Re stake if necessary. Also look for wind damaged
branches in your mature trees and have them removed.
If you have the energy and can
take the heat and humidity you can
start getting your vegetable
garden ready for another planting
whether you're going for another round of summer crops (squash, tomatoes,
beans) or start early preparation for a fall/winter garden (lettuce,
chard, carrots, beets, radishes). Work plenty of organic matter into the
soil whether compost or manure.
August is
another of the
survival months. You're goal is to
get your plants through the remaining high heat of summer and into
fall. You'll want to get there, too, so don't stress yourself out when
your plants don't look as good as they could.
If you have citrus trees
and follow the three times a year fertilization schedule then you have to
make the final application by the end of August.
August is a
tough month to garden. Heat and humidity, battles with insects, and
a constant need to water can wear out even the most enthusiastic gardener.
Take it easy and save your
gardening fervor for the months ahead.
