This time of year your perennials are blooming, and fruits and vegetables are ready to enjoy.
That doesn't mean there are no garden chores to do though. Here are some garden to-do tips for the sizzling month of August that will keep it flowering longer, plus give you a head start on next year's garden.
. Order bulbs for fall planting now! You can often get early bird specials when ordering bulbs through the mail. You can often find a wider selection of varieties through mail order than you can locally. Bulbs are delivered at the optimal time for planting in the fall.
. Continue deadheading spent flowers unless you plan on saving seeds.
. Harvest many vegetables when they are small and tender like beans, eggplants, squash, and cucumbers.
. Harvest garlic, onions, shallots, tomatoes, beets and new potatoes (or leave them until fall for larger potatoes).
. Plant annuals, quick growing herbs, as well as greens such as cilantro, Swiss chard, bunching onions, lettuce, spinach, Mustard and oriental greens, as well as radicchio, endive and other chicories.
. Continue to plant peas and radishes for good eating.
. When berries of brambles (raspberries, blackberries and their relatives) finish fruiting cut them back to the ground as they are finished and will die soon.
. Evergreen varieties fruiting canes should be cut back by half or just below where the late summer flowers and fruit formed.
. Transplant into the garden seedlings started last month for fall crops like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cole crops.
. Move strawberry runners that have rooted to inappropriate locations in the garden. Or pot them up and give them to a friend to grow.
. Harvest herbs for drying. Herbs are often at their peak for drying when they begin to flower. Dry in bunches or preferably in thin layers on screens. Keep out of the sun when drying. A well ventilated attic or shed works well
