Gardening in August – Prepping the Vege Garden for Spring 🌱

August might still feel like winter, but the garden knows spring is just around the corner. This is the perfect time to start waking up your vege patch—prepping soil, planting cold-hardy crops, and laying the groundwork for a strong, productive season ahead.

🌿 Planting: Cold-Hardy Champions

Give your garden a head start by planting crops that can handle cooler soil and chilly nights. These resilient performers will take off as the days lengthen and temperatures rise:

• Veggies: Beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peas, onions, silverbeet, spinach

• Greens & Herbs: Mesclun, early lettuces, rocket, mizuna, coriander, parsley

• Perennial herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme

🌟 Tip: Start sprouting your seed potatoes in trays or egg cartons now—this gets them ready for planting in September, just in time for a Christmas harvest.

🥕 Harvest Now: Winter’s Bounty

While you’re planning and prepping,

don’t forget to keep harvesting what’s already growing strong:

• Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower

• Celery, kale, leeks, winter lettuces

• Mizuna, parsnips, rocket, silverbeet, spinach

Regular picking encourages continued growth and stops plants from going to seed too early.

🍎 Fruit & Tree Care

August is prime time for deciduous fruit tree care. Here’s how to set your trees up for success:

Planting New Trees

• Ideal timing for apples, pears, apricots, plums, and more while they’re still dormant

• Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with good airflow

• Stake young trees to help them establish roots

• Use frost cloth in colder areas to protect tender trees

Pruning Tips

• Prune now: Apples, pears, apricots, feijoas (after they’ve finished fruiting)

• Wait to prune: Peaches, plums, and almonds—summer pruning helps prevent silver leaf disease

• Focus on removing dead or diseased wood, and open the center of the tree to let in more sunlight and air

🍓 Strawberry Bed Prep

August is the sweet spot for planting strawberries. Get them in now to ensure juicy harvests come summer.

Steps for success:

1. Loosen the soil with a fork

2. Mix in organic matter—sheep pellets or compost work well

3. Add mulch to retain moisture and keep weeds at bay

Your future self will thank you when those berries start to ripen!

🧹 Garden Chores

A little groundwork now goes a long way:

• Prepare soil with compost or well-rotted manure

• Dig in green manure crops like mustard or lupin—these break down into rich organic matter

• Plan your spring garden: Think about crop rotation, companion planting, and what you love to eat

• Tidy up: Prune fruit trees, trim hedges, neaten borders

And don’t forget the slug patrol! Scatter Tui Quash or your go-to slug bait around young seedlings to keep hungry pests at bay.

🌸 Looking Ahead

August is a month of anticipation—the quiet hum before the full roar of spring. The work you put in now sets the stage for lush growth, abundant harvests, and a thriving, healthy garden.

Let the garden guide you. Get your hands in the soil, make a plan, and enjoy the shift in energy as we move toward a new season of growth and possibility.