Seasonal Tips/August

Things to do in the vegetable garden August

• Pinch out runner beans that have reached the end of their support.
  Runner beans can be a frustrating crop when they fail to set. There could be several reasons:

  • Do not give your hoe a moments rest! Although it is easier to hand weed after a rainy day, hoeing during hot weather will dry up weeds and destroy them before they get a chance to re-root. Take out annual weeds before they seed and add to the compost heap. Place perennial weeds in a bin liner with lawn clippings, loosely tie and leave in a sunny spot. Wait until the contents are unrecognisable and then add to the heap.
  • When watering your vegetables, the golden rule is 'soak not splash'. Give plants an occasional thorough soaking rather than watering little and often. Apply water directly to the soil in the mornings to prevent leaf scorch. 

   

  Sowing and Harvesting

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  • Quick maturing and oriental salad crops can still be sown such as lettuce, rocket, radish chicory, mizuna and mibuna. 
  • Harvest onions, shallots and garlic to eat fresh, or for storage. They are ready when the leaves turn brown and papery and start to bend. Once harvested lay out in the sun for skins to ripen and then store in nets in a cool, airy location.
  • Pumpkins and winter squash intended for storage will benefit from maximum exposure to sunlight to help the skin to mature. Remove strategic foliage that hides the fruits and lift them up onto a mat of straw, a couple of bricks or a very low, upturned slatted box. This allows air to circulate, enabling the part resting on the soil to dry out, and at the same time avoid proximity with slugs.

   

Thanks to http://gardenorganic.org.uk for seasonal tips