As we head into late summer, it’s time to start working out the best jobs to do in a vegetable garden in August to keep your space productive.
There are plenty of jobs to do in the garden in August, but if you’ve got a vegetable patch, bed or containers, there’s even more to be cracking on with this month.
Below, you’ll find a list of the top jobs to do in a vegetable garden in August to help you round off the growing season – or extend it, if you’re keen!
1. Get harvesting
If you’ve been busy growing vegetables all season, there’s so much you can harvest in August.
‘In the vegetable garden, it’s time to harvest any potatoes and onions,’ says David Glass, head gardener at Bowood House & Gardens.
You'll also need to watch out for signs your cucumbers are ready to harvest, and an array of other fruit and vegetables like tomatoes and courgettes. Keep a trug handy for Instagram-worthy snaps of your harvests, like this large wooden garden trug from Crocus.
2. Plant vegetables
If you’re keen to extend the growing season into the colder months or get ahead for next year, now is the prime time to sow more vegetables. In fact, the list of what you can plant in August is long.
'As we move into late summer, there are still plenty of crops you can sow now and enjoy before winter hits,' says Abbie Betts, gardening buyer at Cherry Lane Garden Centres.
Abbie recommends sowing kale, spring onions and Swiss chard now for late-season harvests.
You can also sow cabbages like Cabbage 'April' from Thompson & Morgan for early harvests next spring. Or, browse a huge range of lettuce seeds at Amazon for speedy harvests before the end of the growing season.
3. Sow green manures
One of the best ways to prepare your soil for winter is by sowing green manures like mustard and phacelia, and you can get started this month.
‘If any beds are empty, August is a good time to sow green manure,’ says David. ‘It improves the soil and acts as a natural source of nitrogen for next year’s crops.’
You can pick up green manure seeds from Thompson & Morgan for just £1.99.
4. Feed tomatoes, peppers and courgettes
It's peak production season for fruiting crops like tomatoes, peppers and courgettes, and feeding them regularly will encourage their best crop.
'Keep your plants regularly watered to prevent them from drying out,' advises David. 'Use of a weekly tomato feed will help your fruit to ripen.'
Levington Tomorite from Amazon is a popular (and affordable!) choice. Or, you could learn how to make your own tomato fertiliser.
5. Keep an eye out for pests
You'll need to be on the lookout for garden plant pests like aphids and caterpillars this month, because they're as attracted to the warm weather as we are.
'Be vigilant!' says Mark Dwelly, head gardener at Audley Stanbridge Earls. 'Regularly check tomatoes and potatoes for blight, and inspect others for aphids, caterpillars, and insect eggs.
'Act quickly to control any outbreaks by hand-picking pests or using organic sprays before they get worse.'
Caterpillars were one of the hardest lessons I learned when I first started growing in a raised vegetable bed.
Which jobs will you be cracking on with in your vegetable garden this month?
