Home Garden & Home Summer Grow Your Own | What To Do in August

Grow Your Own | What To Do in August

August is an exciting month to grow your own produce with a continuous supply of delicious fruit, vegetable and salad crops on offer. Maintaining a regular harvest and finding exciting new recipes for your pickings is one of the happiest tasks of the month.

The British summertime can be notoriously fickle, but during dry spells watering is also vital for the health of your plants along with continued vigilance with weeding.

Read our guide to grow your own in August for advice.

Sowing & Planting in August

Sow Outdoors

By August, the selection of crops suitable for outdoor sowing narrows to those that are either fast-growing or capable of overwintering. This is the perfect time to plan and plant for a bountiful late harvest and ensure your garden remains productive into the colder months.

For a quick turnaround, consider sowing carrots. Varieties such as ‘Early Nantes’ are ideal, as they mature swiftly and can be harvested before the first frosts.

Lettuce is another excellent choice. Select hardy varieties like ‘Winter Density’ or ‘Arctic King’, which can withstand cooler temperatures and provide fresh leaves well into autumn and early winter.

Turnips are a versatile addition to your late-summer planting schedule. Varieties like ‘Purple Top Milan’ are known for their rapid growth and can be harvested in just a few weeks.

Winter spinach should also be on your list. Varieties such as ‘Giant Winter’ are robust and will continue to produce nutrient-rich leaves through the winter months.

Lastly, don’t forget about winter radishes. Varieties like ‘Black Spanish’ or ‘China Rose’ are perfect for sowing now, as they thrive in cooler temperatures and develop a deliciously crisp and spicy flavour.

By carefully selecting these crops, you can extend your growing season and enjoy fresh, home-grown produce well beyond the summer months.

What to Harvest for a Bumper August Crop

By August, your garden should be brimming with an abundant harvest, ready to be enjoyed. Here’s what you can look forward to:

Vegetables and Salad Crops:

Aubergines
Beetroot
Broad beans
Broccoli
Carrots
Celery
Chillies
Courgettes
Cucumbers
Kale
Lettuce
Onions
Peas
Potatoes (second earlies, main crop, and salad)
Radishes
Rocket
Runner beans
Spinach
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes

blackberries on a bush ready to be harvested scaled

Fruit:

Blackberries
Blueberries
Gooseberries
Pears
Plums
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries

Hillier Tip:
Make sure you are gathering ripened produce regularly, as some plants will stop their activity if too much of the produce reaches maturity while still on the plant. A perfect opportunity to share a bumper crop with neighbours!

Looking for new ways to enjoy your harvest? Explore our recipe collection from the Hillier Development Chef for inspiration!

Other Key August Grow Your Own Activities

regularly watering when growin in the garden

As the growing season reaches its peak, there are several key tasks to keep your garden thriving and productive. Here are some essential activities for your August garden:

Pest Watch

This time of year, as our produce is in full growing mode, is also a time when many garden pests pose a threat. Controlling them is always a balance between protecting the ecosystem and preserving your crop.

We offer advice on identification and control in our Guide to Common Garden Pests.

Hillier Tip:
Don’t forget to net any brassicas to stop Cabbage White butterflies laying eggs. If you are hoping to encourage butterflies to breed in your garden, read our guide to what to plant to attract butterflies.

Help deter pests in your vegetable plot by ‘companion planting.’ For example, plant pungent vegetables, such as onions, garlic or chives next to your carrots to deter carrot fly.

Watering

Watering is one of the most important activities to get the best from your crop throughout the summer. Be particularly aware of crops growing in containers, which dry out more quickly. Tomatoes are particularly thirsty and will need watering daily. Some plants, such as blueberries, ideally need to be watered with rainwater if available.

Feeding

Many crops will benefit from an extra feed at this time. Give fruit growing in containers a feed with a high potassium liquid feed. Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers will all enjoy the nutrients in tomato feed.

Weeding

When it comes to weeding, we always suggest little and often. Weeds are in full growing mode in the summer months, so set aside time as often as you can to remove.

Tomato Side Shoots

Continue to pinch off side shoots from your indeterminate tomato varieties – these appear in the junction between the stem and branch. Simply twist them off gently with your fingers.

Read our guide to growing tomatoes for detailed tomato plant care.

Greenhouse Cooling

Make sure to keep your greenhouse well ventilated, particularly on hot days – open the vents through the day.

Top Up Your Compost Heap

As you enjoy your bumper harvest, you can put any healthy foliage you have pulled up onto your compost heap. Make sure not to compost any plants that look like they may be suffering from any form of disease.