What I Sow in My Vegetable Backyard in August

August is an attention-grabbing and busy time in a vegetable yard, as many readers will little doubt be properly aware. Most of your consideration is liable to be on harvesting and tending the summer time season crops.

For a lot of temperate native climate growers, the primary seed-sowing time is the spring. Nonetheless it’s crucial, in case you want to develop year-round, to proceed sowing all by means of the rest of the rising season.

Whereas there could also be usually a lull spherical midsummer, I sow additional crops for autumn, winter, and the following spring whereas the current summer time season could also be very quite a bit nonetheless in full flow into. I am in Scotland and should proceed to sow correct up into September throughout the polytunnel and usually even previous.

A lot of the crops that may overwinter open air in my yard have already been sown in July—akin to some brassicas, as an example. And some overwintering crops, like peas and beans, winter onions, and garlic, will not be sown until autumn arrives, in September or October. Nonetheless that is what I’ve or will sow in my vegetable yard this August—principally in my polytunnel yard:

Lettuce & Completely different Leafy Greens

Decrease-and-Come As soon as extra Lettues, Land Cress, Chards, Endives, Radicchio

The great thing about many lettuce varieties, significantly cut-and-come-again varieties, is that they’re going to current a extremely quick crop. Some sown in August could also be ready to reap in solely a month or so, making them obtainable for autumn and winter consuming. This month, I often fill gaps within the summertime yard with quick crops of lettuce or totally different quick leafy greens.

Longer-term lettuces may be sown this month for winter or early spring harvesting. And land cress, chards/perpetual spinach, and endives/radicchio, are totally different hardier winter greens that I sow by means of later summer time season and into fall for harvests by means of the colder months in my polytunnel.

Brassicas

Kale, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Pak Choi, Mizuna, and Additional

Not talked about above are many alternative leafy greens belonging to the cabbage or brassica plant family. Nonetheless brassicas are, the place I reside, staples of the winter yard. They usually’re in plenty of totally different areas too. This group of crops provides a variety of selections for cool season/winter rising.

I sowed kale out of doors ultimate month. Kale could also be eaten whereas they’re small over the autumn or overwintered for a staple and hardy winter crop. Purple sprouting broccoli is one different favorite of mine, already in place in my yard for a crop subsequent spring.

Now, my consideration turns to a whole lot of Asian brassica varieties. I am going to proceed to sow a spread this month and subsequent in my polytunnel, along with tatsoi, pak choi, mizuna, mibuna, quite a few mustard greens, and additional.

Alliums

Bunching Onions, Scallions, Spring Onions

Many gardeners will sow onion models and garlic models in autumn for overwintering. Nonetheless sooner than that, I like to point out my consideration to sowing salad onions for a winter or spring harvest. Onions grown for his or her greens are easier to develop from seed than bulb-forming ones.

These onions won’t be merely grown for his or her edible yield. One in all many alternative important causes that I like to make sure I sow some this month is that they make an superior companion crop for various winter crops or overwintering species. They’re helpful with their pungent aroma in pure pest administration.

Radishes

French Breakfast, Crimson Globe, Black Spanish, Daikon

Radishes are sown little and typically all by means of the rising season, and as long as they get adequate water, they work very properly in my polytunnel yard. Completely different root crop sowing season is completed the place I reside. I often succession sow the ultimate of the carrots and beets in July in my polytunnel. I moreover are prone to sow turnips sooner than the tip of July. Nonetheless radishes of various types can nonetheless be sown this month.

I sow French breakfast and crimson globe radishes all by means of the summer time season, nevertheless in August, my attentions flip to black Spanish radishes, and daikon radishes, every of which I sow sometime between July and September in my polytunnel.

Protect sowing in August, and this may assist you to transition from summer time season into the following seasons and develop a yard that won’t merely feed you and your family members in summer time season nevertheless all 12 months spherical.