(Chelsea Update would like to thank Jennifer Fairfield and The Garden Mill for the information in this column. This is part 1, look for part 2 on Saturday.)
What happened to summer? Did I sleep through the month of August? Wait – the calendar says it is August! But it can’t be.
August is supposed to be hot and dry, not cool and wet. I am not even sure what to say about what you should be doing in the garden this month, since most of what I would normally be talking about would be how to keep your gardens properly hydrated.
That doesn’t seem to be an issue at the moment, but I guess I shouldn’t get too comfortable with the current weather. It is Michigan, after all.
Water
Normally, August’s biggest gardening chore is making sure everything gets enough water. So far, that doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue for most of us in Southeast Michigan.
Remember, though, Mother Nature could turn off the tap any time, so make sure you keep an eye on your plants. Most plants need about an inch of water per week.
Deadhead
Keep deadheading your annual flowers to ensure continuous blooms. Perennials that bloom at this time of year should also generally be deadheaded regularly.
Harvest
Harvesting is the major activity of vegetable gardening in August. I love going out to my garden every morning to see what I might be able to have for dinner that night.
Isn’t it amazing how zucchini can grow from just a tiny little fruit to a baseball bat seemingly overnight? Be sure to stay on top of picking at this time. Many vegetable plants will stop producing if you don’t harvest regularly – even daily – when they are really in full production mode.
Succession planting
August is also the time to put some “succession” plants in your veggie garden. As you pull out the plants that have given you all they can for the season, consider replacing them with something that will produce later.
Beets, radishes, lettuces, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and peas all can be planted in August for harvest into the early fall.
Take a look at the seed packet for the “days to maturity” to determine how late you can plant and still harvest before frost (and some things, like kale, are even better after a light frost).
To figure out your safe planting time frame, just count backward from about Oct. 1 for our area, but you can get detailed information for your zip code here.
