August in the Garden

Early in the month seed spinach and corn salad for eating in the fall, and lettuces for winter harvesting from frames. Sow spring cabbages this month, and onions for bulbs to harvest in June.

Continue dead-heading annual and perennial flowers to keep displays fresh looking.

Earth up celery and leeks and keep them as well watered as possible.

Take short tip cuttings of your favourite geraniums for young plants to overwinter in the house.

Pot a few selected strawberry runners that have rooted. Sink the pots in the ground and leave them outdoors until February, when they can be brought into a bright, sheltered place for early fruiting.

As soon as they arrive at garden centres, plant autumn-flowering bulbs such as colchicum and fall crocus.

Clip evergreen hedges early in the month. Trim lightly, and avoid cutting into old wood.

Tomatoes will be at their flavourful and nutritional best when eaten within five days after they have full coloured.

Rhododendron flower buds are developing this month. Keeping the plants well watered will help to produce the greatest numbers of flower trusses next spring.

Lift winter squash and pumpkins up off the ground by using egg cartons as platforms. This will keep them dry, and generally aid the maturing process.

Withhold water from bulb onions once the tops begin to yellow and die down.

Reduce the amount of fertilizer to fuchsias by a half, and stop fertilizing at the end of the month, to begin toughening the plants for their winter storage period. Keep watering though.