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August is always a busy month for harvesting crops, and cutting flowers to enjoy indoors. But there are still crops to sow for harvesting in late Autumn and next spring.

1. 1. With the heatwave ongoing in some areas of the country and a hosepipe ban, means much of the evenings and early mornings is taken up with watering. It is better to give plants a really good soak 2-3 times a week, rather than a little splash daily. It is important to remember with the need for additional watering of pots and containers that the nutrients will be washed out sooner. So it is important to at least once a week give these a feed with a High Potash feed for flowers and a general feed to keep the foliage green.
   
   
2. 2. This month is the time to lift and store early and second early potatoes for future use. I always take my time to carefully fork out the tubers and dry them in the sun for about 1 hour, and then I put them into potato sacks. You can leave main crop potatoes for harvesting early next month.
   
   
3. 3. If you have an old strawberry bed that needs regenerating or want to increase the size of your strawberry bed next year, this is best done during early August. Your old established plants should be producing plenty of runners; these can be pegged down with a wire hoop into pots or trays. These will quickly root and then once rooted; they can be cut away from the mother plants ready for planting your new strawberry bed this autumn. Alternatively, you can order new plants from our mail order website for delivery in November.
   
   
4. 4. Fill any gaps on the vegetable plot with over winter Lettuce. From August through to October you can sow direct outside varieties like Arctic King and Winter Imperial. A handy tip If temperature is above 20C which can be quite often at this time of year, this can inhibit germination of lettuce. So put the seed packets in a fridge the night before sowing so the seed is chilled down, and germination will be much better. Later in the autumn protect the lettuces with cloche and you will have tasty lettuces to cut early next year.
   
   
5. 5. This month you can sow Spring cabbage like Wheelers Imperial, Duncan, April or Winter Jewel in a seed bed outside, then once plants are large enough these can be transplanted to a space on the veg plot. These will stand all winter and can be harvested either as spring greens or as full size heads early next year.
   
   
6. 6. As space comes available from where early harvested crops or potatoes were, make sure you fill it up again, as now is a good time to sow some over wintering Japanese Onions like Senshyu Yellow or Tough Ball. Sown now outside in drills these will quickly germinate and will be ready for thinning early next year as spring onions then leave the rest to mature as full sized onions for use from June onwards. I find these a useful crop to grow as; you will have onions ready to use just as your stored onions have finished. Overwinter Spring Onions can also be sown this month like White Lisbon winter hardy or Gerda.
   
   
7. 7. Sweet corn will be ready to harvest this month. An easy way to check if it is ready to eat is when the Silks (tassels) turn brown and the cobs look swollen. Then carefully pull back a little of the sheath around the cob, push your fingernail into one of the kernels, and if a milky juice comes out, they are in perfect condition for eating, both raw in a salad, added to the BBQ or cooked whole in the microwave.  If you are in an area where there is a high population of Badgers, it is wise to put some net protection around your sweetcorn crop as these animals love sweetcorn and can easily decimate a crop overnight.
   
   
8. 8. Runner Beans have struggled this year with the hot weather , but are now starting to produce bean . It is important to keep on top of harvesting Runner and French Beans so they are picked when young and succulent, otherwise with hot weather they can soon tun old and beany and not good to eat. Beans need plenty of moisture to ensure the beans set and grow quick and succulent to eat, so make sure they are kept well-watered each evening during hot weather. As a guide on a 20ft row at present I am putting around 12 gallons of water on that row each evening.
   
   
9. 9. As space comes available on the Vegetable plot, you can fill this up with crops like Chard, Spinach, Rocket, mixed Salad leaves, Pak Choi, Summer Radish, over winter Radish types and Turnip that can all be sown this month. Ideally sow where they can get a little shade from taller crops. Keep these crops well-watered otherwise with hot weather and a high population of flea beetle at present, these will soon be decimated.  
   
   
10. 10. If not done so yet there is still time this month to sow some Biennials such as Bellis, Pansy, Viola and Forget me nots, to flower next spring into early summer. Viola and Pansies dislike germinating in hot temperatures, when above 20C which can be quite often at this time of year, as this can inhibit germination of these items. Put the seed packets in a fridge the night before sowing so the seed is chilled down, and germination will be much better.
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