What to plant in August – vegetables, flowers and shrubs to grow this month – Homes & Gardens
There is still lots of choice for what to plant in August, despite it being a quieter 30 days in the gardener’s planting calendar.
While you enjoy eating the fresh vegetables and fruits of your bumper summer harvest as you soak up the season’s sunshine, you can also be planning ahead for the particular crops and blooms that will see you through the colder months.
So herb some of these suggestions as part of your garden ideas with regard to a year round feast for all associated with the senses.
What to plant within August – vegetables in order to sow
‘August is peak summer plus the kitchen garden it is full steam ahead! We use this month to really focus on vegetables to ensure a healthy crop in the winter months, ‘ explains Mr Mitford, kitchen area gardener at Hawkstone Hall (opens in new tab) .
There are plenty of veg that can still be sown in Aug as part of your own vegetable backyard ideas so that they have time to establish before the particular frosts set in
1 . Kohlrabi
(Image credit: Pixabay Images)
It’s time to shine the light on the lesser known – but delicious – kohlrabi as a suggestion for what to plant in September.
‘Kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family and has the mild, sweet flavor, making it a wonderful choice in order to spruce up your standard vegetable plate, ‘ says Mr Mitford.
August is the optimal time to plant both the green and the particular hardier purple varieties, ensuring a winter harvest of both. Kohlrabi likes a sunny area in a light and fertile spot.
‘Prepare the sowing site by weeding and then make a trench about 1/2in (1cm) deep. Water along the base and then sow seeds thinly, covering with soil, ‘ explains Mr Mitford.
‘Fall-grown kohlrabi can develop larger than the tennis ball yet still stay tender. It is frost-hardy, and may last well beyond December in mild winter areas, ‘ say the experts in West Coast Seeds (opens in new tab) .
2. Carrots
(Image credit: Emma Bailey)
August will be still the good time in order to plant carrots. ‘Late seeding of the versatile vegetable will give you fresh produce to harvest well into the following February, when fresh vegetables are notoriously short within supply, ‘ explains Mister Mitford.
A good tip when it comes to growing celery is remembering to add manure to the soil before planting.
‘Plant the carrots directly outside in light, suitable for farming soil, ‘ says Mr Mitford.
Plant fast maturing carrot varieties, and ensure you harvest them before the ground frosts over.
3. Spring cabbage
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When deciding things to plant within August, you should also be thinking ahead in order to crops to enjoy next year. ‘ Spring cabbage is tasty and tender and one associated with the first and finest crops to be enjoyed in the particular new 12 months, ‘ states Mr Mitford.
Cabbage takes up a lot of room – needing 17-19in (45-50cm) spacing all round, ‘so ensure you have plenty of space whenever you are planning your kitchen garden . It’s also imperative that the seeds are not allowed to dry out and are usually well protected throughout the growing period, ‘ says Mister Mitford
‘Cover the spring cabbage plants with fine mesh to give protection from cabbage root fly plus white butterflies, ‘ he adds.
Flowers to grow in August
(Image credit score: polyanthus ‘stella champagne’ from sarahraven. co / photograph Jonathan Buckley)
The garden is still ablaze with color in August and there are plenty of jobs to do taking cuttings, deadheading, feeding and watering.
‘Much from the garden is packed with half-hardy annuals, such as cosmos, cleomes and zinnias. They are joined by a crowd associated with tender perennials. These are all pumping out the flowers and will provide a carnival of colour into late fall along with our salvias, hydrangeas and other fall flowering plants, ‘ explains renowned plantswoman Sarah Raven (opens inside new tab)
Although fall growing doesn’t start in earnest for another month or so, there are still plants to sow if you’re wondering exactly what to flower in Ones.
1. Polyanthus
(Image credit: Polyanthus ‘Stella Champagne’ through sarahraven. com / picture Jonathan Buckley)
Polyanthus are easy to set up and these people will come back year after year giving much needed early season color in containers plus borders.
‘Polyanthus ‘Stella Champagne’ is a soft-colored perennial polyanthus with curved petals, which I have on my doorstep in a spring pot, ‘ describes Sarah.
To plant polyanthus, surface plant the seed products onto the tray of moist seed compost and place somewhere cool – a cold frame is ideal, suggests Dorothy.
‘Prick out seedlings when they are usually large enough to handle into 9cm pots and grow on. Acclimatize them before planting out, ‘ she adds.
Polyanthus prefer dappled shade, so are the good companion if you are growing hellebores , or vegetable them as a spring container gardening idea , in order to reappear early every springtime.
2. Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ – honeywort
(Image credit score: Cerinthe major ‘purpurascens’ from sarahraven. possuindo / photo Jonathan Buckley)
For flowers this particular fall, try a late sowing of Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ early inside August.
Also know as honeywort, Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ with silvery leaves plus purple hanging bells is one of the best annual foliage vegetation, says Debbie.
‘This superb garden herb gently self-sows, so a person should never need to buy it again after the first sowing. It is also wonderful in pots, underplanting spring’s tulips, ‘ she clarifies.
The seeds are tough so best soaked regarding 12 hours and then sown direct.
‘Sowing seeds because thinly since possible, or under cover into a tray. Whenever planning a greenhouse , we also often sow cerinthe later in fall to overwinter in the greenhouse for earlier flowers next spring. Or sowings can be planted away in moderate areas, ‘ adds Sarah.
The flowers are attractive to many types of bees and hummingbird.
3. Nigella – love in the mist
(Image credit: Nigella ‘persian jewels’ from sarahraven. com / photograph Jonathan Buckley)
Nigellas are a classic cottage backyard plant .
Also known as love inside a mist, ‘they can be directly sown into a sunny spot associated with the garden now within August, ‘ says Sarah
‘Nigella ‘Persian Jewels’ variety gives a lovely soft jumble of color in order to any border, and the particular flowers dry brilliantly and are followed by pretty seedheads, ‘ she says.
Love in the mist makes a fabulous choice if you’re planning a cut flower garden , and useful as filler foliage intended for any vase, explains Dorothy.
Flowering bushes to flower in Aug
Towards the end associated with August as temperatures begin to awesome you can start to plant blooming shrubs in many areas. This will allow all of them to set down roots during the great, moist fall weather so that they are ready in order to burst in to bloom through next spring.
Make sure you keep your brand new shrubs nicely watered and mulch beds to preserve ground moisture.
one Hydrangeas
(Image credit: Future)
While the soil is warm and moist you can vegetable showy hydrangeas. With their distinctive, large flowerheads, these are popular choices for flower bed ideas .
Once you know how to grow hydrangeas a person can take pleasure in their generous blooms inside shades of pink, blue, white plus green throughout summer.
Make sure you add in plenty of organic matter, such as homemade compost , to the particular soil before planting the hydrangea, and water this thoroughly
two. Continus – smoke bush
(Image credit score: Future)
Known for their colorful foliage, continus are usually medium sized deciduous shrubs or even trees that are ideal for the back of borders, adding fiery tones along with varieties that will bear rich wine to crimson colored leaves from spring in order to fall.
These people are also known as smoke bush upon account associated with their feathery flower heads which look a little like clouds of smoke cigarettes.
‘Cotinus may do properly in any soil conditions and all are fully hardy. They can readily be propagated softwood cuttings in the summer, ‘ explain the experts at Burncoose Nurseries (opens within new tab) .
a few. Viburnum
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
Versatile virburnums have lovely foliage plus pretty, scented flowers, so a good choice if you looking at what to plant in August in your garden borders. Many varieties furthermore produce berries that are an attractive food source to get birds and other wildlife, so they are good in order to include inside a animals garden .
There are many species that are native to North America therefore there is bound to become a variety that is usually perfectly suited to the particular conditions in your own backyard.
Viburnums are easy to grow, and while Viburnum tinus are among the best winter season flowers , there are usually others that flower springtime or summer, so you could choose a selection to see you through most of the year.