Month of August Gardening Tasks
August often brings the garden's biggest harvests, along with the tail end of summer heat stress — a month for both enjoying the payoff and starting to plan ahead.
Harvest vegetables at their peak regularly to prevent overripening and encourage continued production.
Start seeds for a fall vegetable garden — many cool-season crops can go in now for an autumn harvest.
Watch closely for late-summer pest pressure, which often peaks as the season winds down.
Continue deep, consistent watering through any lingering heat waves.
Take stock of what worked and what didn't this season while it's still fresh, to plan next year's beds.
Hold off on heavy fertilizing this late in the season for shrubs and trees — new growth pushed now may not harden off before the first frost.
