Feature: August Gardening Tips from Sheilah Kennedy

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August is the month for rich colours and rich harvests. The sunflowers in our area (AND at the bottom of our garden!) have been absolutely stunning, the golden browns and yellows of the ripe grain ,the almost black of the rape seed and the remaining ochre of  the corn stubble in the fields. It is a reminder of the autumn to come but we still have plenty of summer left!

In the garden the tomatoes and cucumbers and courgettes and squash and beans et al are filling our jars and freezers with the taste of the wonderful sunshine we have had this year.  The main crop potatoes should have been or being lifted (but will lie a while longer if no blight about) and stored in the cool dark cellars if we have such a thing. Beetroots that have grown too big to be steamed and eaten tiny and sweet, can be bottled or stored in wooden boxes of compost, again in a cool dark place. Root vegetables stored in this way can be kept for several months.

Sowing can be started all over again as the autumn, winter and early spring crops are started. Salad leaves and rocket prefer cooler weather or they bolt very quickly so hold fire on them if august is very hot. Spinach can last almost right through the winter if conditions are mild enough and if not a covering of fleece will keep the crop producing for succulent leaves at Christmas and beyond.

This summer has been a very, very dry one so far so try to keep the soil loose on the surface and this will allow any moisture about to be absorbed by the plants. Mulch well with rotted compost after watering. Water only in the evening as if done in the morning it condenses to the day's sunshine.

When the courgette plants and tomatoes and squashes and bean plants are finally over, clear the ground, add well rotted compost and have ready for the kale, purple sprouting broccoli, spring cabbage and any other winter or early spring plants you wish to grow. Cut the bean plants off at the roots leaving the nitrogen laden nodules to release their bounty. Brassicas follow well after legumes absorbing the extra nitrogen to keep them green and tasty. Break the roots of your onions and leave in the sun to dry. They can then be hung and eaten throughout the autumn and winter. Keep a check for softening-remove any rotten ones.

In the herbaceous border cut back the straggling dead heads and give the plants a boost of compost so that they will provide you with extra colour for the autumn. The potentillas I cut back after flowering are about to give us another late showing. The same can be done in late spring to pansies and they will provide a second showing of colour into the autumn and winter. Pansies are short lived perennials and should be composted after their second showing. Plant your violas near a stony path and you will have perpetual seeding. Enjoy the colours of the agapanthus, the day lilies, the dozen varieties of bulbs and tubers planted in the spring or left in the ground all year now showing their flower heads. Keep the flowers for as long as possible by dead-heading throughout the season-they feed our bees and butterflies and all the other pollinating and useful insects and allow them to fill their stores for the winter.

Above all, experiment (and take notes! Who knows you might discover something that no-one else has!) Have fun and enjoy. Gardening is an exercise in relaxation, and awareness of the way of our planet.

Any questions, debate always welcome. Question will be answered privately and published in the following month's column.

Visit the blog section and leave me a comment.

Story by Sheilah Kennedy of Kennedy Paragiste

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