August 2025
It’s August already. Where did the summer go? Lots of things you can do in your gardens now. These hints are for everyone, especially our newer members. They may be repetitious for some of you. Or just a good reminder of what needs your attention now…
Any new trees, shrubs, perennials should be watered deeply at the roots at least 3 times a week early in the morning when plants take up the most water. Containers watered every day as they are mature plants by now. If we have another heat wave( 3 days of 90° or higher), water twice a day. Continue to dead head past blooms. Why do we dead head? Because I told you to do it. Well yes, kidding… But once a flower has gone by, seeds will form where the flower once was. If you’re collecting seeds, it’s ok to let the seeds form. But if you want more flowers, you have to remove the past flower or that plant will use its energy on that stem to make seeds not new flowers. Likewise, you should dead head your perennials too unless you collect the seed pods for use later in floral arrangements. You may get a second bloom if done in time with perennials.
Once your annuals become leggy, cut them back and fertilize them with a bloom booster fertilizer. It contains phosphate which helps make more flowers form. Phosphate is the middle figure number on the fertilizer scale. An example is 10-30-10. The first number is nitrogen, good for foliage plants, trees, shrubs, and grass etc. The second number is the phosphate, good for flowers, fruit etc. The third number is potash. Good for root structure and stem growth.
All chemical fertilizers have only these 3 nutrients and these nutrients only. Organic fertilizers have these major nutrients and minor nutrients too, like copper, zinc, calcium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, boron, etc. But the numbers usually aren’t as high. And they are slowly released. Always make sure your soil is wet before using a water-soluble fertilizer and a granular fertilizer. Why? It will burn the roots of your plant if it is dry when adding any fertilizer. Never increase the recommended amount of fertilizer on the label.
When harvesting your vegetables from your garden, make sure you pick them at their peak size. Not too big on most.
I tried growing some vegetables last year in containers with great luck. This year I am growing all of my vegetables that way. It’s so much easier and fun. I have some containers elevated so the rabbits can’t reach them. There’s just enough produce for the 2 of us. So far, I’ve been picking lettuce, radishes, Swiss chard, cucumbers, summer squash and tomatoes and string beans. Loving it !!!
If you’re having a problem with slugs this year, there are ways to help with that. You can hand pick them early in the am. I carry a cup of very salty water and drop them into it with my gloved hand. They hide under my containers during daylight. And come out during the night. Try placing cantaloupe rind face down near the plants being eaten. Check in the AM and you will find lots of slugs on the rind.
One last solution if these methods are not easy for you. There is an organic product called SLUG GO. It’s granular. Just sprinkle it around the affected plants. Good luck! Don’t forget to keep your plant diary up to date on what’s going on in your gardens. What you saw that you want to try next year. What hasn’t done well etc. I keep a diary with sun rise, sun set, daily weather, latest birds in our feeders, and general environmental information. It’s a good reference later. Keeping in touch with nature is very good as the concerned environmentalist that we strive to be.
Mid-August we will see fresh new chrysanthemums and other fall plants coming into stores and garden centers. Hold off if you can for a while until the temperatures cool. Enjoy the season. Happy gardening.
