Things To Do In August

START PLANNING FOR LATE SPRING AND SUMMER HARVESTS NOW BY SOWING SEEDS!

- Jennifer Stackhouse

COOL & TEMPERATE

VEGIES

Late winter is a changeable time. Cold spells can rapidly give way to bursts of warm, spring-like weather. Where late winter is frost-free it’s safe to plant out summer vegies, but where the weather remains unpredictable, delay planting out frost- and cold-sensitive vegies such as tomatoes until spring. To get a head start, sow cold-sensitive seeds now but move seedlings into larger pots until conditions stay warm. In frost-free zones plant basil, beans, eggplants, cucumbers, capsicums, pumpkins and zucchini.

Seeds and seedlings that don’t mind the changeable weather include snow peas, lettuce, spring onions, silver beet and herbs. In cool temperate areas there’s time to plant broad beans. Give them some support as their brittle stems are easily broken by wind and rain.

In all areas plant potatoes. Use virus free seed potatoes in well-drained soil. For a good crop, water well. It’s also safe in all areas to plant perennials such as globe artichoke and asparagus. Prepare soil thoroughly before planting crowns by digging well-rotted manure and compost into the planting bed.

FRUIT

Apply sprays to protect deciduous fruit trees from disease. Use organic formulations based on lime or copper to control leaf curl on peaches and nectarines and brown rot. Act now before deciduous trees get their leaves back. This is also the last chance to plant bare-rooted fruit trees, shrubs and vines before they begin to regrow. Stake new plantings to protect them from wind rock.