What to do in your garden in August
If your runner beans are flowering well,
but producing few pods, then check out
the vegetable garden section for tips
on how to improve the crop.
August - the time for holidays and harvesting? There's still plenty to do in the garden, especially if you are planning on leaving it for a couple of weeks. Just look through these pages for ideas and jobs to be done to keep your garden at its best through the remainder of the summer.
In your:
plus:
In general
To find out if you are likely to suffer blight on your potato crop, sign up for blight watch alerts from the British potato council.
Are you missing out on key information that may help you improve blight control decisions?
By signing up for this free service you can receive email and text message alerts for Smith Periods and confirmed outbreaks for up to 10 postcode districts.
To register for Fight Against Blight and Blightwatch alerts go to www.potato.org.uk/fab_blightwatch
See also BPC blight maps at www.potato.org.uk/blight- National Allotments Week is 11th-17th August. Open your site to the public or
visit your local site for more information. Run by National Allotment Gardens Trust
and National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. Find out more from the National Allotment Gardens Trust website.
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Grass clippings
Add kitchen waste to your
compost to keep it moist -
Mulching and water conservation
- Try and keep all bare soil covered either with plants or use mulches on the surface to keep moisture in. Grass clippings can be piled onto beds, several inches thick. Don't cover young seedlings (apart from weeds) and don't pile up too close to plant stems.
- More hints on saving water and watering here.
- Check compost bins from time to time. If the contents appear too dry, add some water and 'wet' waste, such as kitchen peelings and grass clippings. Take the opportunity to turn the contents too, this will help to aerate it and activate the bacteria that help to decompose all your waste into lovely rich, dark humus to put back on the garden.
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If you find all your bins are full at this time of year, start a new one. Contact your local authority to see if they have any cut price bins on offer, or see our factsheet on making a compost bin (requires members' password to access online).
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August is the time to think about sowing green manures in any unused space to protect the soil over winter. Garden Organic members can get more information in our factsheet about green manures.
- Summer children's activities here at Garden Organic Ryton are on Wednesdays until the 27st August. Come along and join in the fun. More information about children's activities here.
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This section of the Garden Organic website - What to do in your garden now - is produced by the Information Section of Garden Organic. If you are a member of Garden Organic, you also have access to our full range of factsheets and other useful information on the Garden Organic website, and to our Organic Gardening helpline – by email, phone and letter. More information here about the benefits of joining Garden Organic.
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Organic Gardening "Do's"
A checklist for going organic in your garden
For more detailed guidance on what is, and isn't organic, have a browse through the Garden Organic Guidelines for Organic Gardeners
Top of pageGarden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
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