1. If you have any veggies which have become overripe and unusable they may be prone to infestation by insects etc or become diseased, remove them from the vicinity of your other crops as soon as possible.
2. Add a couple of tablespoonsful of Epsom salts to your watering cans when watering plants to keep the magnesium & sulphate levels up.
3. Sow green manures into any areas of vacant ground that need nutritional improvement.
4. Keep hoeing around those still growing crops to keep weeds at bay, otherwise they will compete with your veggies for water & nutrients.
5. I very rarely thin out my carrots, take care not to damage their leaves/roots if you do, or the smell from damage/breakages may attract the dreaded carrot flies.
6. Don't forget to pinch out the growing tips from your runner beans and pick the beans regularly to promote more to grow.
7. Think about "companion planting" for next season maybe, if you have had any problems with diseases/insect damage/infestations this year.
8. August can easily be the warmest month of the year so don't skimp on watering your crops. Watering early mornings or late evenings to ensure less evaporation of the water. A good soaking around crops is better than frequent light sprinklings of water.
9. Watch out for signs of late blight on tomatoes/potato plants. Remove any infected plants and burn or bag and bin them, don't add them to a compost heap.
10.
2. Add a couple of tablespoonsful of Epsom salts to your watering cans when watering plants to keep the magnesium & sulphate levels up.
3. Sow green manures into any areas of vacant ground that need nutritional improvement.
4. Keep hoeing around those still growing crops to keep weeds at bay, otherwise they will compete with your veggies for water & nutrients.
5. I very rarely thin out my carrots, take care not to damage their leaves/roots if you do, or the smell from damage/breakages may attract the dreaded carrot flies.
6. Don't forget to pinch out the growing tips from your runner beans and pick the beans regularly to promote more to grow.
7. Think about "companion planting" for next season maybe, if you have had any problems with diseases/insect damage/infestations this year.
8. August can easily be the warmest month of the year so don't skimp on watering your crops. Watering early mornings or late evenings to ensure less evaporation of the water. A good soaking around crops is better than frequent light sprinklings of water.
9. Watch out for signs of late blight on tomatoes/potato plants. Remove any infected plants and burn or bag and bin them, don't add them to a compost heap.
10.
SOWING/PLANTING IN AUGUST
1. Sow the following this month: Spring Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Kohl-rabi, Lettuce (Winter hardy), Spring Onions, Radish, Spinach and Turnips.
2. Plant out Savoys, Cauliflowers and Kale.
2. Plant out Savoys, Cauliflowers and Kale.
OTHER JOBS IN AUGUST
1. Keep weeding & hoeing.
2. If you are storing potatoes for later use, ensure any damaged ones are used, not stored.
3. Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes, leaving 4 or 5 trusses on each plant in general.
4. Turn your compost heap and spray with water if it is very dry.
5. Compost & manure heaps are attractive places for wasps to build their nests, so be wary when disturbing the heaps.
2. If you are storing potatoes for later use, ensure any damaged ones are used, not stored.
3. Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes, leaving 4 or 5 trusses on each plant in general.
4. Turn your compost heap and spray with water if it is very dry.
5. Compost & manure heaps are attractive places for wasps to build their nests, so be wary when disturbing the heaps.
We don't thin our carrots either. We don't mind ending up with some cuddling one another.
ReplyDeleteThinning is rather time consuming and after pulling up a few when they are big enough the rest usually fatten up anyway including the "curly cuddling" ones.
DeleteNow I know why wasps are around my compost bin ! I will stop my Runner Beans running and feed with Epsom Salts this evening. Blight has ruined most off my outdoor Tomatoes. It spread so quickly. I have bare soil after digging up my Potatoes so I need to plant something in it. Thank you Rooko for your tips. Marion x
ReplyDeleteBlight is a real pain, I had nothing but trouble with it on my tomatoes on allotments so I only grow them in grow bags now in the back garden. Blight sprays are available if you use chemicals etc. I would recommend mustard as a green manure. It grows quickly, smothers most weeds and has certain cleaning qualities for the soil and against some insect pests. The seeds are easy to handle, just spread them by hand. Sowing can be about March to September. If the weather is dry watering is needed. Don't plant brassicas directly after mustard.
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