August jobs in the patch

Whether you grow your fruit and vegies in pots or garden beds, August is the time to get your edible garden ready for action! Why not plant some seed potatoes, and crowns of rhubarb? Here are some top August jobs…

• Sow capsicum and chilli seed into pots on a windowsill so the young seedlings will be ready to plant out as the soil warms
• Sow lettuce seed, sprinkling it onto the surface of pre-dampened soil and scratching it in lightly with a rake
• Pinch out the soft growing tips of broad beans, which will discourage aphids, and encourage branching and more flowers. Don’t waste the tips, as they are tender and delicious
• Plant seed potatoes into soil that has been well prepared and enriched with organic matter
• Look out for self-sown parsley seedlings, and transplant them into more suitable spots in the garden
• Plant out tomatoes in frost-free areas, but wait until the frosts have finished in cooler climates
• Shorten long, whippy shoots on lemon trees and, at the same time, inspect the trunk for flaking bark that indicates collar rot
• Plant rhubarb crowns into beds or large containers filled with potting mix or compost-enriched soil
• Feed citrus with an organic-based fruit tree fertiliser, and add trace elements if they aren’t included in the fertiliser blend
• Sow seed of celeriac into punnets, or directly into a prepared bed, and keep them well fed and watered until the swollen base of the plant is ready to be harvested in late summer

Photos by iStock