August gardening calendar: What to plant in Brevard this month | Sally Scalera
With the hot temperatures hanging around through August, it is still a good idea to divide your projects and work outside in the early morning and/or evening hours. If you want to grow some vegetables this fall, now is the time to prepare for it. Here are some ideas of things to do this month.
Tend your vegetable garden. Remove all spent vegetable plants by cutting them off at ground level. This will protect the soil from disturbance and leave the root system in the ground for the soil microbes to feed on. If needed, add some worm castings over the entire garden area to enrich and cover the soil. When planting, inoculate the hole with earthworm castings and a granular mycorrhizal mixture. For bean and pea plants, inoculate them with the correct nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Vegetables to plant. This month vegetables that can be planted include beans, carrots, eggplant, endive/escarole, okra, bunching onions (green and shallots), peppers, Southern peas, squash and tomatoes.
Vegetables to sow. The vegetable seeds that can be sown now for planting in September are arugula, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, lettuce, mustard, peppers, spinach, squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips and cucumbers. After September, the next month for planting cucumbers is January.
Feed your lawn. To help the lawn tolerate the weather extremes of flood and drought, spray it weekly (or as often as possible) with liquid seaweed or kelp. Both seaweed and kelp supply trace elements and growth hormones, which research has shown help plants handle environmental stresses. For the lawn, apply the liquid seaweed using a hose-end sprayer. For edible (and ornamental plants experiencing insect pest and/or disease problems), a hand pump-up sprayer works well to apply a fine mist to both sides of the foliage. To benefit the lawn and the entire yard, inoculate the lawn with beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae. As the soil microbial populations grow, they will find the roots of the other plants growing throughout the landscape. For more information, email the UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County Master Gardeners at if-svc-BrevardMG1@ifas.ufl.edu.
Don't mow too short. A common practice that can be harmful to both St. Augustine and Bahia is to mow the grass too short. The recommended height to mow both St. Augustine and Bahia is at a height of 3 to 4 inches. That does not mean mowing the grass when it is three to four inches tall, but having the grass blades measure 3 to 4 inches after mowing. Taller blades are much better for the turf, so four inches is a great height to aim for so there is more foliage to carry on photosynthesis.
Plant a hedge. If you want to add a hedge to your yard, consider planting one of our keystone species to support migratory birds. Hedges that are 3 to 8 feet tall provide cover and nesting locations, and they can be pruned by hand (once a year) if you prefer a more natural look than a formal look (pruned two to three times a year). Here are some native keystone shrubs to consider for creating a new hedge, including highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum; Walter’s viburnum, Viburnum obovatum; false willow, Baccharis halimifolia; and false indigo, Amorpha fruticosa, which is a legume that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, eliminating the need for nitrogen fertilizer to be applied, and foliage can be cut and used as a mulch around other plants to provide them with nitrogen.
Support native bees. In addition to supporting migratory birds, it would also be great to support our native solitary bees, which are needed to ensure our native flowering plants continue producing seeds. Choose a variety of flowers so nectar and pollen will be available throughout the year, and plant them together in clumps or drifts. Leave the soil bare throughout the center so the ground-dwelling bees can dig their burrows and raise their young. Place mulch around the outer edge of the plant bed to help suppress weeds and give the area a neat appearance. The best flowers to plant include goldenrod, Solidago spp. (five native species); sunflower, Helianthus spp. (three native species); false goldenaster, Heterotheca subaxillaris; goldenaster, Chrysopsis spp. (six native species); tickseed, Coreopsis spp. (two native species); silkgrass, Pityopsis graminifolia; coneflower, Rudbeckia hirta; and old field aster, Symphyotrichum spp. (three native species).
Flowers for a sunny spot. For flowers to plant in a sunny spot, consider coleus, impatiens, marigolds, celosia, Melampodium, gazania, gaillardia, cosmos, purslane, sunflower and salvia.
Herbs for August. Some herbs that can be planted now are anise hyssop, African blue basil, culinary bay (Laurus nobilis), borage, chives (onion or garlic), dill, fennel, ginger, lemon balm, lemon verbena, Mexican tarragon (we can’t grow French tarragon), mints (large variety of scents and flavors to choose from), oregano, parsley, pineapple sage, sage, salad burnet, sweet basil (many cultivars to choose from), sweet marjoram, rosemary and thyme.
Sun-loving bulbs. Bulbs, for sunny areas that can be planted now include caladiums (some cultivars), African iris (Morea spp.), Aztec lily (Sprekelia formosissima), snowflake (Leucojum spp.), spider lily (Hymenocallis sp.) and Watsonia.
Shade-loving bulbs. Bulbs for partially shady areas include our native rain lily (Zephyranthes spp.), amaryllis, white butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium), caladiums (many cultivars), calla (Zantedeschia spp.), Narcissus and shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet).
Add color to a shady spot. Colorful plants for a shady spot include impatiens, crossandra, coleus and angelwing begonias.
Fresh produce available now. Check out some of the fresh produce and delicious edibles that will be available at our Brevard County Farmers Market in August, including fresh herbs, microgreens, shoots, wheatgrass and microgreen growing kits. Vegetables that will be available are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and potatoes. In addition, there will be fresh bread, hummus, honey, mushrooms, seasoning blends, beef jerky, fresh salsas, candied jalapenos, sweet relish, cupcakes and other sweets, homemade jams, apple butter and jellies, and a variety of homemade nut butters.
If you enjoy pork, there will also be locally raised pork available. For pasta lovers, there will be freshly made pasta, sauces, cheese and other delicious Italian items available.
On the second Thursday of every month, Deep Roots Meat comes with their Florida-grown, grass-fed Angus beef straight from their farm.
The Brevard County Farmers Market is from 3-6 p.m. every Thursday at the Wickham Park Pavilion. You can use your SNAP/EBT benefits at the market. Simply swipe your EBT card at the SNAP/EBT booth and receive tokens that can be exchanged for SNAP-eligible items. To learn more about this program, visit feedingflorida.org/food-access/fresh-access-bucks/how-fab-works. To stay current with the most current information, follow the Brevard County Farmers Market Facebook page at facebook.com/brevardcountyfarmersmarket.
Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email her at sasc@ufl.edu.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: August gardening calendar for Brevard: What to do outside this month
