August Garden Guide

Monthly Garden Guide
Written By Caity Endt

Things are warming up, days are a tad longer,  and with spring just around the corner not much time to get the garden ready for planting. In early August the soil can be wet and cold so be careful not to overwork it in this state. 


Weather:

Check Niwa’s seasonal outlook for updates. 

In the vege garden:

Sow in Greenhouse (for planting in September):

  • All your brassicas, lettuce, silverbeet and spinach

  • zucchini (Plan on 3-4  succession plantings every 8 weeks or so)

  • tomatoes (cherry toms often cope with early planting better than beefsteaks)

  • Basil (greenhouse only)

  • Parsley (soak seed for 24 hrs before sowing, use fresh seed) 

  • Flowers for beneficial insects: alyssum, calendula

  • Start kūmara tipu (come to the workshop with Darren!)

Direct sow: 

  • Coriander (soak seed for 24 hrs before sowing, use fresh seed)

  • rocket 

  • Florence fennel

  • radishes and turnips

  • peas, including sugar snaps and snow peas (until December latest); protect from birds!! 

  • Carrots (soak seed for 24 hrs before sowing; use fresh seed; protect from slugs and snails)

Plant: 

  • Cabbages, broccoli, kales, pak choy, rocket. They like the cool weather and will grow fast as the soil warms up.

  • Shallots and spring onions, small onions like Purplette, last chance for storage onions like Pukekohe Longkeepers

  • Lettuce, silver beet, spinach, peas, including sugar snaps and snow peas (until December latest)

  • Asparagus crowns

  • Potatoes (plant one or two per week for constant supply)(come to the workshop with Darren!)

  • Chives, garlic chives, Vietnamese mint

  • In the flower department, alyssum, sweet peas for flowers, violas, stock, calendula, cornflower

Watch out for:

  • Frosts - keep an eye on the 10 day forecast

  • Slugs and snails

In the Orchard:

  • Plant bare root fruit trees

  • Prune fruit trees on a dry day (still some space on the repeat pruning workshop)

    • prune stone fruit before they start flowering, keep an eye on their buds

    • pears could break leaf soon prune now if not already done

    • plenty of time before apples break leaf

    • Prune tamarillo trees (not earlier)

  • Feed citrus and feijoas with sheep pellets, or chook manure

Other Tasks:

  • Make sure tools in good order, clean and sharpen

  • Weed the garden, take out spent winter crops, make space for summer veg

  • Choose and order seeds, (come to the Seed swap)

Caity Endt

Caity has always been a keen gardener and nature lover, spending endless hours in the garden with her father as a child and eventually studying botany and ecology.

After marrying Gerald, the seeds fell on the fertile soil of Great Barrier Island, and Okiwi Passion was born.

Caity now has part time role as Food Resilience Co-Ordinator on Aotea encouraging, teaching and supporting individuals to grow more local food!

https://www.okiwipassion.co.nz/about-us/
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