Late Summer Planting Jobs

Late summer is my favourite time to do any gardening, I hate the hot sun but in the late summer it gets much cooler. Here is my list of ten jobs that need to be done at this time.

Photo via. HGTV

1) Prune flowering shrubs

Any plants that bloom after the mid-summer can have a second set of flowers during the current seasons growth. If you consistently prune during the spring, you will give the plant enough time to flower again (the same year/growing season).

By prune, I mean dead-heading and chopping any weak, thin, or dead parts. Pruning will also control the growth and help the plant’s health.

Different flowers require different pruning, so keep your eye out for a future post about some of these!

Photo via. Chris Madden

2) Summer maintenance pruning / trimming

An important task during the summer is maintenance trimming.

Maintenance trimming controls the plant’s shape, prevents disease and pests (that can enter through dead stems, for example), and encourages new growth with strategically placed cuts.

Although, between March and August, birds make nests in trees and shrubs which means you can’t carry out this task – it is an offense under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.

But don’t worry, this can be delayed until the end of August, after the birds move out.

Photo via. Sara Ghedina

3) Get ready to plant garlic

Garlic (in the UK) should be planted between October and January, after the summer or my last harvest, I like to get ready to plant so I get another job out of the way.

To prepare I:

Sift the ‘old’ soil to remove any weeds and other plant material

Add compost or manure to my soil (I don’t have much space so I plant in containers)

Measure some bird netting or horticultural fleece, which I will cover the pots with to stops birds pecking the garlic

 

Between now and planting, you should keep on top of weeds and aerate the soil every now and then.

Photo via. (unknown)

4) Prune apple trees

Apple trees can be pruned up to the last few weeks of August.

The aim of this is to let the sun get to the fruit so they can continue to grow.

A basic guide is to cut back new soft shoots (around one node from last year’s wood) to let more light reach the fruit. The new shoots will be woody at the bottom third.

Photo via. Paul Vogelzang

5) Prune wisteria

Right after flowering, prune the green shoots of the current year’s growth – and that’s all.

This will control the size of the plant, it stops it from getting out of control, and you can train the plant to grow how you want it.

Right after flowering is when wisteria is ready for new growth. Doing late summer pruning makes winter pruning easier to manage.

Photo via. (unknown)

6) Sow crops

 Some crops grow and mature very quickly and could be harvested by late Autumn or early Winter.

Some examples are; carrots, beets, kale, chard, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, coriander, peas, and turnips.

Photo via. Svetlana Uzkikh

7) Weeding

Weeds are so aggressive and productive during August as the start to chuck out their seeds. Keeping on top of weeding stops them taking over!

Because bees and butterflies seem to really love weeds, I usually leave them until right after I flower.

I like to use a combination hoe as it pulls the weeds up from the roots.

 

Some weeds aren’t ugly (to put it nicely) so you can re-plant the ones you like in pots to keep them organised. I personally love dandelions and bindweed.

Photo via. Tin Man Gardening

8) Deadheading

To keep perennials and annuals looking their best, make sure you are consistent with your deadheading. It also allows the plant to keep growing more buds for more flowers.

However, if you want them to go to seed, you can dead head until late August then leave them. I have a post up now on how to collect seeds, if you are interested!

Photo via. Ken Crook

9) Harvest

Harvesting is one of my favourite gardening tasks, it’s satisfying to collect your reward after working hard all season.

Picking above-ground plants makes space for more flowers, and thinning root vegetables reduces crowding to let others grow bigger.

Photo via. Diego Grez

10) Prepare your DIY mulch or compost

It’s easy to save money on mulch and compost as you can make at it home. Doing this now means that it will be ready to use by the next season.

Add any material that you have in a pile and leave it! First it will turn to mulch, and if you leave it for longer, then compost.

Mulch will protect the soil and kill any weeds or even grass underneath it.

Compost adds fertiliser and nutrients to the soil and will improve the soil structure.

----> Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, Nate.