August brings some of the biggest rewards of the gardening season. 🌻 The vegetable garden is producing, annuals are putting on a show and there’s still plenty of time to make the most of the growing season ahead.
This is also about the time of year when I start referring to myself as Princess Thistle. 👑 The weeds are relentless, the garden is getting a little wild around the edges and my to-do list never seems to get any shorter. If your garden is looking a little less picture-perfect than it did in June, you’re in good company!
A little attention now can go a long way. Here are a few timely tasks to help you keep things growing strong — and still enjoy your garden — as summer begins to wind down.
August Garden To-Do List
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- Harvest early and often. Check your vegetable and herb garden regularly and pick produce when it’s at its peak. Keep flowers pruned off of your herbs to prevent them from going to seed. Frequent harvesting can encourage plants to keep producing too! These recipes will keep your taste buds tingling while you marvel at the fresh flavors you grew!
- Keep annuals blooming. Regular deadheading, cutting back and fertilizing can help annual flowers keep providing beautiful color well into fall. My gardening must-haves can help make the job easier.
- Water wise. Keep up with regular watering when nature doesn’t provide, paying special attention to anything planted this year and annuals growing in containers. During hot, dry stretches, containers may need water daily or even twice a day. Check out my complete guide for watering outdoor plants for simple ways to keep your plants hydrated without wasting water.
- Make the most of late summer. There’s still plenty of gardening season ahead! A little attention now can keep your garden looking good, producing and thriving into fall. Check out my Five Late-Season Gardening Tips for simple ways to make the most of the season.
- Plant now for a fall harvest. Sow cool-season vegetables from seed now for many more weeks of fresh produce this growing season. My free downloadable grow guide can help you plan what to plant and when.
- Plant now to grow under cover later. Want to stretch your harvest even further? Many of the cool-season crops you plant in late summer can keep producing well beyond the first frost with a little (or more than a little) protection. Learn how to use row covers, cold frames and hoop houses to extend your growing season in Cold? Grow Anyway! How to Garden Under Cover in Zones 5–6.
- Hold off on most planting and dividing. Avoid planting, transplanting and dividing most trees, shrubs and perennials during hot August weather. When possible, wait for the cooler temperatures of late summer and early fall. Your plants — and probably you — will appreciate the break!
- Divide iris and daylilies. These are two exceptions to the rule above. Both can be divided after blooming from summer into early fall, preferably during a cooler stretch. Add compost when replanting and keep new divisions well-watered while they establish.
My favorite shovel, the Spear Head Spade, makes dividing plants a whole lot easier! Midwest Garden Gal fans save 10% on Spear Head Spade products with code MGG10 at checkout.
During these dog days of summer, I love to get outside early, before the heat and skeeters get fired up. You’ll be amazed at what even 20 minutes spent weeding, cutting things back, deadheading and tidying can accomplish. Little sprints pay off!
By August, even the most enthusiastic gardeners can start running out of steam. 💨 Your garden may be a little wild around the edges — or everywhere — and that’s OK! Tackle what you can a little at a time, then grab a cold drink, find a shady spot and enjoy the garden you’ve worked so hard to grow. There’s still plenty of season left! ✨
