August Garden Guide

Despite being so soggily WET the heat in that sunshine is definitely warming up! Days are a tad longer,  and the weeds in the garden are starting to spread and flower! And that’s what some of your overwintered veg will do as well. Rocket, pak choy, lettuce etc will start sending up flowers soon if they haven’t already. If you are blessed with a sunny spot, you can get seedlings started in a greenhouse, and if your soil is not too wet, start to get the garden ready for planting. Exciting!

Weather:

Check Niwa’s seasonal outlook for updates. 

In the vege garden:

Sow in Greenhouse or Cloche (for planting in September):

• All your brassicas, lettuce, silverbeet and spinach

• Peas can be sown into a tray and transplanted out when they get their first true leaves (safer than direct sowing) but do protect from birds!

• Mid-late August, zucchini (Plan on 3-4  succession plantings every 8 weeks or so)

• Last chance for storage onions like Pukekohe Longkeepers

• Tomatoes (cherry toms often cope with early planting better than beefsteaks)

• Basil

• Parsley (soak seed for 24 hrs before sowing, use fresh seed) spring sowing of parsley means you will have parsley for at least a year before the plants go to flower NEXT spring.

• Flowers for beneficial insects: alyssum, calendula; violas (Johnny Jump ups), sweet peas, stock, cornflower

• Start kūmara tipu under a cloche

Direct sow (but protect from slugs and snails!!): 

• Coriander (soak seed for 24 hrs before sowing, use fresh seed)

• Rocket 

• Florence fennel

• Radishes and turnips

• Peas, including sugar snaps and snow peas (until December latest); protect from birds!! 

• Carrots (soak seed for 24 hrs before sowing; use fresh seed; )

Plant: 

• Cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, kales, pak choy. They like the cool weather and will grow fast as the soil warms up.

• Shallots and spring onions, onions

• Lettuce, silver beet, spinach, peas, including sugar snaps and snow peas (until December latest)

• Asparagus crowns

• Potatoes (plant one or two per week for constant supply)

• Chives, garlic chives, Vietnamese mint, thyem, oregano, pretty much all your perennial herbs

• In the flower department, alyssum, sweet peas for flowers, violas, stock, calendula, cornflower

Watch out for:

• Frosts - keep an eye on the 10 day forecast

• Slugs and snails (!!!)

In the Orchard:

• Plant bare root fruit trees

• Prune fruit trees on a dry day

• prune stone fruit first before they start flowering, keep an eye on their buds

• pears could break leaf soon prune now if not already done

• plenty of time before apples break leaf

• Prune tamarillo trees (not earlier)

• Feed citrus and feijoas with sheep pellets, or chook manure

Other Tasks:

• Make sure tools in good order, clean and sharpen

• Weed the garden, take out spent winter crops, make space for summer veg

• Choose and order seeds!