Sally Scalera

Brevard County Horticulture Extension Agent
3695 Lake Drive -- Cocoa FL 32926 -- 321-633-1702

August gardening ideas

Aug. 10, 2010

Since August brings us such hot temperatures you may want to try and divide your projects so that you can work outside in the early morning and/or evening hours. If you are planning to grow a vegetable garden this fall, now is the time to start preparing for it. Here are some ideas of things to do this month.

  • To prepare for the prime vegetable gardening season that is just around the corner remove any spent vegetable plants. Then add a 4 inch layer of compost or aged manure over the entire garden area to enrich the soil.
  • This month you can plant the following vegetables: pole beans; broccoli; celery; collards; sweet corn; eggplant; bunching onions and shallots; peppers; pumpkin; squash; okra; Southern peas and watermelons.
  • Fertilize your fruit trees such as peaches, apples, mangoes, avocados and citrus.
  • The following vegetable seeds can be sown now for a September planting: Pole, bush, and lima beans; sweet corn; cucumbers; eggplant; peppers; Southern and English peas; summer squash; tomatoes; broccoli; cabbage; celery; collards; endive/escarole; kale; leak; lettuce; turnips and mustard.
  • Check the mower blades and sharpen them if necessary. While you’re at it, change the oil and air filter too.
  • Prune back overgrown pentas. Root the clippings in water (make sure to prune your cutting just below a node, where the leaves come out, and pull off the lower two to three sets of leaves so that only the stem is in the water) to start new plants.
  • Prune off seed heads from crape myrtles to encourage more blooms.
  • Transplant your rooted poinsettia cuttings into a six inch pot. Begin fertilizing weekly with a half strength houseplant fertilizer.
  • Remember – DO NOT prune your gardenias, camellias, or azaleas this late or you will be cutting off the flower buds that would bloom next spring.
  • To add some flowers to a sunny spot try coleus, impatiens, marigolds, celosia, melampodium, gazania, gallardia, cosmos, purslane, sunflower and salvia.
  • Some herbs that can be planted this month include chives, mints, oregano, cardamom, ginger (Zingiber officinale), Mexican tarragon and rosemary.
  • Bulbs, for sunny areas, that you can plant now include African iris (Morea spp.), Aztec lily (Sprekelia formosissima), Snowflake (Leucojum spp.), Spider lily (Hymenocallis sp.) and Watsonia.
  • Bulbs for full sun to partially shady areas include; amaryllis, white butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium), Calla (Zantedeschia spp.), Narcissus, Shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) and rain lily (Zephyranthes spp.)
  • This is the last month to prune poinsettias this year. Make sure the leaves are a deep green so they can produce beautiful winter color.
  • If your bougainvillea is too large, now is a good time to prune them.
  • For colorful plants in a shady area try impatiens, crossandra, coleus, angelwing begonias or caladiums.
  • Here is a list of some of the fresh produce that could be available at produce stands or farmer’s markets in August: Avocado, Asian pear, atemoya, blackberries, carambola, grapes, guava, mangoes and passion fruit.
  • The Brevard County Farmers Market at the Equestrian Center at Wickham Park is now open again and will run every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. Come check it out!