Introduction:
August is the peak harvest time! Get your trugs, punnets and baskets ready. Remember to only pick what you want to reduce food waste. Salad leaves, chard, carrots and radish can be kept fresh in bowls or jugs of water in the fridge.
Read the previous articles here:
January / February / March / April / May / June / July
You could also revisit our blog from last year titled Autumn Seed Sowing – click here.
If you are new to growing your own food and want to have a go, why not start this year? Email us for a free PDF guide to help you! Laura will also help via social media or email – laura.beardsmore@tcv.org.uk
Seeds to Sow in August:
You can continue to sow next years flower seeds now – foxgloves and hollyhocks are examples.
Salad crops can be sown through August for a late summer harvest.
Herbs to start in August include parsley, coriander, oregano, marjoram, and sage.
Spinach seedlings, direct sown at the start of August, outdoors
Successional Sowing:
You can continue to sow salad crops throughout August, this means salad leaf, radish, spring onion, sorrel, spinach, corn salad. These crops are all shade tolerant so you can plant them in a shady area.
You can also continue to sow carrot, beetroot, and turnip seeds.
Planting Out in August:
If you have started herbs in June and July, these should now be big enough to be planted outdoors. This includes sage, thyme, lemon grass, dill and rosemary.
Harvesting Food in August:
August is the peak month for harvesting what you have been growing! You should be able to pick a bowl or basketful every week. Crops in August include:
- Legumes including peas, French beans, and runner beans
- Aubergine
- Cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli
- Squashes including courgette and patty pan
- Salad such as rocket, loose leaf lettuce, radish, spring onion, sorrel, spinach, corn salad, and mustard
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Sweetcorn
- Pepper
- Beetroot
- Carrot
A small August harvest from our Green Gym space in West Heath! We picked cabbage, baby carrots, beans, beetroot, potatoes, salad, mint, and radish.
Seeds Sown in July:
The salad crops sown in July should be nearly ready to harvest, especially the leaves and radish. Carrot and parsnip can stay in the ground until you are ready to use them, and can be left overwinter as long as the ground doesn’t flood.
Pick salad leaves little and often to keep a good harvest going.
Swede, pea and kale can all be planted out in August into their growing locations.
Sweetcorn plants should also be growing well in August and producing tassels on the cobs
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And if you want help and advice, why not join our Grow Well, Eat Well group on Facebook?