August Jobs in the Kitchen Garden and on the Allotment

This article brings the grower practical advice and timely reminders to help him make vegetable gardening more enjoyable and productive. Watering, weeding, controlling pests and harvesting crops are all tasks to be carried out in the month of August. At the same time in order to extend the season of home grown produce a number of vegetables can be sown this month.

Lift Onions

Lift onions in a dry spell. If there are any signs of white rot it pays to harvest onions when they are fully formed rather than wait for them to ripen. Fluffy white fungal growth, a bit like cotton wool, around the bulbs which contains tiny black spores is indicative of onion white rot. Separate any infected bulbs from the healthy ones, cut out the bad parts and use them straight away. Sound bulbs can be set out on wire racks or upturned crates to dry before storing.

Harvest Maincrop Potatoes

Harvest maincrop potatoes as the foliage dies down. They can stay in the ground until September, but tend to suffer less from slug damage if lifted in mid to late August. Dig them up carefully to avoid spearing the tubers with the fork. Do this on a dry day and leave on the soil surface for a few hours for the skins to dry and harden. Bag up the potatoes to keep out the light and store somewhere cool (7-10degrees C ), frost free and dry.

Other Crops to Pick in August

Courgettes will need harvesting every other day if they are not to turn into marrows. Regularly pick French and runner beans. Sweetcorn will be ready this month. Watch for when the silky tassels turn from yellow to pale and then darker brown. Pull down a bit of husk and push a thumb nail into a kernel and if the sap is milky the cob is ripe.

Prevent Damage by Cabbage White Butterflies

The eggs of Cabbage White butterflies are laid under the leaves of brassicas. The resultant caterpillars are up to 3.5cm long and velvety green which makes them difficult to spot. Often found feeding in the heart of plants which they can quickly strip to a skeleton. To prevent damage check plants regularly, squash eggs and pick off caterpillars. But for best control grow crops under fine mesh making sure the foliage doesn’t push up against the mesh because the butterflies will lay their eggs through it.

Keep out Cabbage Root Fly

The legless white larvae of the cabbage root fly which are up to 8mm long feed on the roots of brassicas and can be troublesome well into autumn. Keep the egg laying adult flies off all members of the cabbage family by placing individual 12cm square root fly mats around each plant or grow crops under fine mesh.

Crops to Sow in August

An early August sowing of spinach can be harvested in September. Choose a mildew resistant variety like Tornado F1 whilst at the same time sow an overwintering type such as Polar Bear F1 to harvest next spring. Mooli radish sown now will produce long white roots with crisp flesh which can be sliced in salads or stir fried. An August sowing of turnips will give a decent crop of roots in about 60 days.

Oriental vegetables including Pak choi and Chinese cabbage are also quick to mature. They are best sown in pots of multi-purpose compost and pricked out individually into 9cm before being planted in their final position under fine mesh.

Less Busy but Still Plenty of Work for the Keen Vegetable Gardener

In order to get the most from the ground keen vegetable growers still have plenty to do on their plots as late summer moves towards autumn.