August 2007 - August going on October!

August 2007 - August going on October!
by Bob Johnson
Wednesday 01 August, 2007


August already, or should that be October! It seems more like that with all this wet weather we've been having. So, if your garden isn't underwater, these are the jobs that you can do this month



Lawns Cut once a week, if you can, as it is still growing rather fast. If it is water logged though, it is better to keep off of it until it dries out a bit.


Greenhouse Once your tomatoes have five trusses of tomatoes setting/forming and still some flowers, pinch out the tops to stop the plants getting any bigger. This will ensure that all the growing is transferred to the tomatoes instead of the plant. Still feed them every week, but be careful not to let them get waterlogged as they may rot. Due to the bad weather they are not needing so much water. If you have peppers plants then keep them tied to their supports. They should be producing peppers around now but due to the weather most things seem to be behind at the moment. Pests don't seem to be a problem at the moment except for slugs and snails still and if these have got into your greenhouse you'll need to get rid of them (refer to last months suggestions)


Vegetable Garden Slugs, slugs and more slugs!!! Keep doing what you can to keep them down because they thrive in this weather at the moment. Still keep an eye out for caterpillars on cabbages and greens, and remove them if there are any. Sweetcorn should be ready this month, but mine is late. I think it will be more like September until they are ready. Courgettes should be ready and if you want some marrows you can always leave 2 or 3 courgettes towards the end of the month and they will grow into marrows. You should still be getting the last few weeks of raspberries in so make sure you continue to pick them. Currants (black and red) and gooseberries are also in season now too. Keep beans picked. Runner beans need to be picked whilst still young, as they are more tender, instead of leaving them to get big.


Borders You really only need to keep these dead headed and tidy this month. Also remove any supports from plants which no longer need them. If you have dahlias still continue to keep them well supported, this will stop them breaking as they get taller and heavy with flowers.


Pruning Yew hedges can be cut now, as too can be holly and beech hedges. If your lavender has finished flowering you can cut it back with shears. Remove the finished flowering lavender stems and just take the tips off the new growth. This will encourage more shoots to be produced which then results in a more bushier plant next year.


Birds Continue to ensure that you keep your bird feeders and water baths clean and stocked up with different feeds. We had long tailed tits in our garden last month - first time I've seen those delightful little birds!