August Garden Activities

  Protect honeybees. Use caution when applying insecticides to flowering plants.

During the growing season, cut down suspected pine wilt trees within one month of the tree losing it's green color.

• Continue vegetable fungicide spray program, check harvest time limits between applications.
   
• For a fall harvest, plant beets 8/1-8/10; carrots 8/1-8/15; Chinese cabbage 8/1-8/20; lettuce 8/1-8/5; mustard 8/1-8/25; radish 8/1-8/20; snap beans 8/1-8/5; spinach 8/20-9/15; Swiss chard 8/1-8/20; and turnips 8/1-8/15.
   
• Harvest cantaloupe when the skin becomes yellow and the stem slips easily from the fruit.  Watermelons are ripe when the base of the melon laying on the ground turns a creamy-yellow color, the tendrils on the vine next to the fruit become dry and when the a dull sound is heard when the melon is thumped. 
   
• Harvest onions for winter storage, leaving at least 3" of dried leaves above the neck of the bulbs.  Cure the bulbs by air drying in a warm, well ventilated location for several days until the necks have become dry and papery.  Store in a cool, dry place until used.
   
• Harvest potatoes and cure the undamaged tubers in darkness at 60-65° F with high humidity for 2-3 weeks before storing at 35-40° F in the basement or root cellar.  Tubers that were damaged during harvest should be used for fresh eating.
   
• Harvest winter squash; including pumpkins, acorn, butternut & Hubbard squash; when the skin resists denting from a thumbnail.  Cure them for 10 days at 75° F in a well ventilated location, then store then at 45-55° F in an area with low humidity.

• Discontinue fruit tree sprays 2 weeks before harvest.
   
• Harvest pears before they are ready to eat; pick when skin color changes from green to light green. 
   
• Harvest peaches when the skin color changes from green to full yellow.  Red color is not a reliable index of maturity.

• Thin (remove) late developing strawberry plants to allow remaining plants to fully develop.

• Check woody ornamentals for powery mildew.
   
• Trees with brown leaf edges (scorch), curling, yellowing and leaves dropping may be suffering from heat stress and dry conditions.  Keep trees well watered during dry conditions, deeply soaking them at least twice monthly if your area is not receiving 1 inch of rain per week.
   
• Watch for the second generation of mimosa webworm in honeylocust trees.  Their webs may be broken up with a rake or broom, or with a strong jet of water.  Although the webs are ugly, the insects cause little serious damage to plants.  Chemical control is seldom required.

• Watch for popcorn-like masses of dried sap at the base of branches or branch breakage caused by tunneling of Zimmerman pine moth in Austrian, Scotch and Pondersona pine.  Apply an insecticide to the trunk and major branches of affected trees.  Use the insecticide rate for borers and repeat the second week of April.

• Prepare ground for seeding cool-season grasses.  If overseeding, reseeding, or for newly-seeded lawns, use improved, disease-resistant cultivars.

• Fleas reach their greatest numbers during mid to late summer. For satisfactory control treat pets, indoor premises and yards.

• Continue rose fungicide spray program.