By July is the quietest month on the gardening calendar with the garden cold and largely on pause, but from August onwards it starts to waken as the warmer weather starts to creep in and we get ready for Spring and Summer plantings. Nothing new was planted, but we did get to harvest some broccoli and carrots which saved us a trip to the shops (that’s always a win) and the chooks are enjoying nibbling the lettuce. I didn’t end up relocating any of the brassicas from the shadier part of the garden, we’ll see how they go now that the sun has moved a little in the sky and they are getting more light, though I’m not hopeful of a good result.
Here’s a few pics of the space –
Plans for August for the 10 in 10 Challenge crops:
| Crop | August tasks |
| Tomatoes | Start seeds inside on heat mat (plant out in October) |
| Basil | – |
| Cucumber | – |
| Zucchini | – |
| Carrots | – |
| Lettuce / Salad Greens | lots self seeded lettuces appearing, monitor and relocate if needed |
| Potatoes | source and plant out seed potatoes (if available online as lock down means that stores are closed) |
| Peas | sew more seeds? |
| Cabbage | start new seedlings inside to plant out for Spring |
| Broccoli/ Cauliflower | harvest when heads form (hopefully!) |
Other tasks for August
I’ve almost finishing digging out the grass from under the fruit trees, and am gathering boxes for sheet mulching in August/September. Another job for August which hasn’t yet been done is to tidy up the raspberries. And as the weather warms up all of the garden beds will receive a layer of sheep manure. I also have some Black Grit to try. I also started to go through my existing seed collection and don’t think I need to purchase much for the Spring/Summer season – though I can always find something to buy when it comes to seeds!
I’ll be posting updates on Facebook and Instagram throughout the month, and will have a blog review of the month for you towards the end of August.
Until then – get growing!
