August Garden Activities:
· Water, water, water, water your garden! We are in the driest part of summer. Plants need at least one inch of water a week. If you are carrying water to a 10’ X 10’ garden you will need to carry at least 60 gallons of water a week. It’s better to water deeply a couple times a week than to water lightly every day.
· August is a great time to seed down a new lawn. There will be fewer weeds to contend with at this time of year. You will have to water everyday until the plants get established then you can go to a couple times a week. Seeds will germinate very quickly in this warm weather.
· Leave your grass a half inch higher during dry weather to help conserve moisture.
· A bluegrass lawn will go into dormancy and turn brown during hot, dry weather. Don’t worry as soon as it cools off and fall rains come the grass will spring back to life.
· Sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, zucchini and beans should be ready to harvest now. Harvest vegetables on regular schedule to get produce at its peak and to prevent over ripe veggies from deteriorating.
· Lettuce seed won’t germinate when soil temperatures are above 800 F so you will need to wait a few weeks to direct seed fall lettuce.