What to do in August in the vegetable garden

If there's one thing that most characterises August, it's the sun. In the vegetable garden, some vegetables are already overwhelmed by the heat and drought. So watering is obviously a major activity in August. But every gardener knows that there's always something to do in the garden. On the menu this month: hoeing, sowing, planting and, above all, harvesting!

Sowing and planting to be done during August

While August is considered to be the month of long holidays, our vegetable gardens don't see it that way as there are plenty of things to do. Let's start with sowing and planting.

What to sow in August

Throughout August, you have the opportunity to sow aromatic plants such as dill, chives, parsley, thyme, chervil, etc. This is also the time to sow many vegetables, although the list is somewhat reduced compared with July. These include:

• lettuces, lettuces and chicory, as the weather is still favourable for sowing a number of varieties (brown winter lettuce, Val d'Orge winter lettuce, Grand-mère à feuille winter lettuce, Rougette de Montpellier winter lettuce);
  
• spinach (Matador, Géant d'hiver and Monstrueux de Viroflay): sow them in rows in a shady area to prevent them going to seed.
• radishes, turnips, white onions and the (last) dwarf beans.
  

What to plant in August

When it comes to planting, your nursery-grown, potted or shop-bought plants can be put in the ground. This means you can transplant spinach, fennel, autumn and winter lettuces, lamb's lettuce, rocket and beans. They should be planted in a semi-shaded or sunny area in loose, humus-rich soil.

If you have previously sown winter carrots (Major, Nantaise, Chantenay, Colmar...), now is the last time to put them in the ground otherwise they will not have time to develop sufficiently before winter and will go to seed as early as next spring. The same goes for head cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, which you can plant when they have at least four leaves; you can space them 40 to 70 cm apart, depending on the variety.

As always, the soil must be worked to facilitate plant growth. So remember to hoe the soil before transplanting and get rid of any stones. During this summer period, we recommend transplanting in the evening, and watering well afterwards and in the days that follow to encourage recovery. For cabbages and lettuces, you can use a mulch of dry grass clippings to retain as much moisture as possible.

Pruning, watering and maintenance

In August, summer is in full swing and from the beginning of the month, there is quite a lot of maintenance work to be done in the vegetable garden. Because of August's scorching rays, managing soil moisture is one of the most important tasks. To do this:

• Proceed with regular watering if the heatwave lasts for days on end;
• To reduce the frequency, consider mulching the soil at the feet of lettuces, squash, cabbage courgettes, tomatoes and other crops for which it is possible to mulch ;
• If the ground is bare around certain crops (carrots, leeks, turnips, for example), don't forget to weed, otherwise weeds will deplete your soil of water (and nutrients);
• Shade covers will also be very useful for mitigating the sun's heat;
• Make sure that frames and greenhouses are well ventilated.

You thought you were done? But no! There are many other tasks that need to be carried out to enable your vegetable plants to grow properly. Here are just a few of them:

• Take care to top tomato plants and remove their gourmands;
• The flower buds of aromatic plants such as basil need to be pinched off. Do the same with melons, squash, pumpkin, watermelon and pumpkin;
• To ensure they develop properly, take care of the staking of vegetables such as tomatoes, chillies, aubergines and peppers ;
• To prevent your bean plants from spilling, during a thunderstorm for example, bush them gradually;
• As crops are exposed to certain diseases, continue preventive treatments against powdery mildew and downy mildew, and why not with nettle purin!
  

Harvesting in August

Many vegetables can be harvested during August. As far as dwarf, green or pole beans are concerned, this is the peak season. You'll need to pick them gradually to encourage new flowers to appear and prevent the beans from getting too big. As for shelled beans, you can pick them, from the second half of the month, when the beans are ripe.

Two months after sowing, you can start harvesting gherkins, cucumbers and courgettes. Here too you should proceed gradually, according to your needs. Be careful not to let your courgettes get too big, as they could fill up with seeds. They may still be edible, but they won't be as tasty.

The first melons can also be harvested later this month. To find out if they're ready, all you have to do is stretch your nose and if there's a delicious smell, it's the right time to harvest them! During the same period, aubergines and tomatoes begin to ripen. Wait until their skin is shiny and slightly soft to the touch before picking them.

The leafy vegetables are not to be outdone, as you'll be able to harvest summer lettuces, pears, spinach, leeks and cabbages. Finally, if the potato plants are starting to dry out, you can get out your spade and dig up the precious tubers, taking care not to injure them during this delicate operation.

Harvest the seeds for next season.

To finish off this busy month's tasks, think about harvesting your seeds. This task is fairly simple when it comes to fruit vegetables (tomatoes, courgettes,...) as you just need to choose one or two large fruits from the healthiest plants to remove the next seeds, clean them well and dry them. For lettuces and spinach, simply wait for the seeds to set. For carrots and cabbage, the process takes much longer as they go to seed the following year.

I refer you to this very interesting video to find out how to produce your own seeds in the vegetable garden. Don't forget to place the seeds in a dry place away from light to keep them as long as possible!