August in the Garden

Yes, it’s still crazy hot and there is no sign of rain, but it is time to start your fall garden! July and August are great months to get your fall veggies started. It’s also a good use of your time while hiding in the house from the heat. If you’re still determined to slog it out in the heat, wear long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat to protect yourself from the sun. Okra, originally from Africa, loves our Texas heat and is abundant right now right through to frost. Harvest okra pods frequently before they get too big; over-grown okra is tough and stringy. Beat the squirrels by harvesting tomatoes when they just start to show some color, even a tiny bit. Bring the fruit inside the house to finish ripening on a table or a counter top. You can still plant sweet corn this month too. Just keep it watered until well established.

If you have a lot of okra and are kinda getting tired of fried, pickled and grilled options, check out this plethora of clever recipes from Southern Living magazine, 40 Okra Recipes That Prove It’s Not Just for Gumbo. Bon appetit!

August Garden Tips

Flowers to Plant

Aster
Flowering Balsam
Begonia
Celosia
Cleome
Coleus
Coreopsis
Cosmos
Dusty Miller
Gomphrena
Hamelia
Impatiens
Jacobinia
Lantana
Marigold
Mexican Heather
Nicotiana
Pentas
Periwinkle
Petunia
Purslane
Saliva
Verbena
Zinnias

Seeds to Sow

Beans – pole, snap, lima (mid-late August)
Beets (late August)
Carrots (late August)
Corn
Cucumber
Greens – warm season
Okra
Peas – southern
Potato – Irish (mid-late August)
Squash – summer, winter
Turnips (late August)

Things to Transplant

Broccoli (late August)
Brussell Sprouts (late August)
Cabbage (late August)
Cauliflower (late August)
Eggplant
Peppers
Tomatoes

Things to Sow or Transplant

Collards (late August)
Kohlrabi (late August)
Mustard (late August)
Swiss Chard (late August)

August Garden To-Dos

Provide supplemental water

If we pass 4-6 weeks without at least an inch of rain, established trees need water. Trees younger than two years in the ground need water every 1-2 weeks, depending on the soil, weather, and species of tree. Place a bubbler, a small sprinkler, or a soaker hose at the dripline of the tree and water for at least half an hour or more with a low flow of water. Don’t forget your shrubs, which also need this kind of attention.

Keep evaporation in mind

Any time you water, keep evaporation loss in mind and only water early in the morning or late in the evening. Consider investing in soaker hoses and/or a drip system instead of sprinklers. These systems deliver water right to your plants’ roots, where it’s needed most. This saves on the water bill and reduces the chances of fungal disease on the plants.

Apply a soil activator

If you find that water runs off the soil and doesn’t soak in easily, apply a soil activator to help improve soil permeability. As the heat persists you may need to adjust you watering schedule depending on your soil and weather conditions. Rocky soil will dry out much faster than heavy clay. Your finger is your best moisture meter: dig down as deeply as you can to feel the soil around the roots before watering.

Cover all bare soil with mulch

If you haven’t done so already, be sure all bare soil is covered with mulch, or compost with mulch on top. Avoid putting mulch or compost too close or onto trunks or stems. Pine straw is a good option, as it allows water to easily seep through, while maintaining a cooler ground temperature.

Continue spraying all plants with seaweed

Seaweed, with all its trace elements and hormones, helps plants combat stress. Spray once a week on and under the leaves, early morning or late evening (never in the middle of the day).

Release Trichogramma wasps

If you have pecan trees, release Trichogramma wasps now to reduce damage from fall webworms. These parasitic wasps are tiny and stingless, and they attack the eggs of webworms and other pests. Since there can be three to four generations of webworms in Central Texas each year, try releasing Trichogramma wasps in late April to early May, again in mid-June, and again in early August. The population of webworms in August is usually the most damaging, so you may even want to release three rounds of the wasps, two weeks apart, starting in early August.

Garden Tips courtesy of The Natural Gardener.