Keith Hansen

It’s very hot and dry, and just the end of July.

We have several more weeks of summer to go, so it’s time to hunker down, keep our lawns and gardens alive, and dream of cooler times ahead.

August can be a challenging month for both the gardener and the garden. Here are some reminders and tips to help get you through these dog days of summer.

The following can be seeded or transplanted in August. The dates indicate the optimal window of time for fall planting: bush and pole beans (8/1 - 9/1), lima beans (8/1 - 8/15), broccoli transplants (8/1 - 9/15), Brussels sprouts (8/1 - 10/1), cabbage transplants (8/1 - 9/15), Chinese cabbage (8/15 - 9/15), carrots (8/15 - 10/15), cauliflower transplants (8/15 - 9/15), Swiss chard (8/1 - 10/15), sweet corn (8/1 - 8/15), cucumber (8/1 - 9/1), kohlrabi (8/15 - 9/15), parsley (8/15 - 10/1), Irish potatoes (8/15 - 9/15), summer squash (8/1 - 8/15).

Before seeding vegetables, thoroughly soak a shallow trench with water down the row. Plant the seed and then cover and firm with dry, not moist, soil. To keep the soil from crusting due to frequent sprinkling, cover the row with a board or wet burlap and check daily for seed emergence – remove at first signs of life.

Set out tomato transplants (if you can find them) right away for a fall harvest. Look for an early maturing variety (65 to 75 days). Remember that our average first freeze is mid-November and that tomato maturity slows down as the fall days get cooler and cloudy.

Peppers and tomatoes planted earlier this year will not set fruit during the heat of summer, even though they may still be flowering. If the plants remain healthy, they will set fruit again once temperatures stay below 90 degrees.

Side dress established healthy plants with fertilizer and keep watered to encourage new growth.

Bell peppers and tomatoes should be fertilized regularly to keep the plants producing abundant leaves that will prevent sunscald of the developing fruit. Eggplant and cucumbers can become bitter if allowed to become drought stressed, so keep them regularly watered.

Did you know that all peppers can be harvested at any stage? A red or yellow bell pepper is a green bell that has reached full maturity, and is usually sweeter, and more loaded with healthy vitamins.

Eliminate shelters for insects and disease organisms by removing old plants that have become unproductive. Weeds also harbor potential insect pests, so keep the garden mulched and weed free.

If you have any vegetables (or fruit or herbs) at the end of September, you are encouraged to enter them into the Fruit and Vegetable Show contest at the East Texas State Fair and show off your produce.

During dry spells, deficiencies in your irrigation system will become apparent. Set out a rain gauge or other type of catching device to determine if water is reaching the dry spot. Also check for soil moisture.

At this time of year, give your lawn and garden a deep soaking, and let it dry a few days before watering again. This will encourage a deeper, more drought-resistant root system.

St. Augustine grass can be attached by chinch bugs and gray leaf spot at this time of year. Initially the grass will look off color or yellow, and somewhat wilted like it needs water. But watering does not help either problem.

Grass with gray leaf spot disease will have spots of varying sizes, on the edges or middle of the blades, all with dark margins. Seriously affected areas will appear to melt away. This is a fungus, and is brought on by keeping the grass too wet, usually by watering too frequently, or watering late in the day allowing the grass to stay wet all night.

This requires a fungicide to control, along with a change in watering habits.

Chinch bugs are small, fast-moving insects that feed on the grass, causing it to yellow, wilt and eventually die, leaving the grass looking like straw. There are no dark leaf spots associated with chinch bugs.

Do not fertilizer lawns at this time of year. Nitrogen fertilizer will only promote more growth, requiring more water.

August is the time to clip back some of your perennials, giving them one last haircut in preparation for the last flush of blooms before winter. All of the salvias will benefit from a light trim, keeping them more bushy and compact, and increasing flower production as they resume blooming in a couple of weeks.

Many spring-blooming plants, like camellias, azaleas, and fruit trees, are initiating flower buds for next season’s bloom at this time and should not experience a check in soil moisture. This is also the reason you should not cut back spring-blooming shrubs and trees like azaleas, bridal wreath, redbud and hydrangea after this time of year.

Immature berries of hollies, nandina and pyracantha may drop if the plants are water-stressed. In addition to periodic deep watering, make sure an adequate layer of mulch is covering the surface of the soil to maintain a cooler soil temperature and reduce moisture evaporating from exposed soil.

Finally, take care of yourself during these hot summer days. Heat exhaustion can quickly overtake you while working outside in the garden. Avoid, if possible, working during the hottest parts of the day. Always drink lots of water before, during and after working, and wear loose-fitting clothing and a wide brim hat. If you find you must work in the sun, protect yourself from the ultraviolet rays of the sun with sunscreen, sunglasses and a wide-brim hat.

Keith Hansen
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