What to do in August

August is a busy month on the allotment focused on harvesting crops, pruning fruit, and sowing fast-growing autumn greens. Key tasks (apart from the obvious watering) include picking ripe produce, cutting back finished berry canes, and planting quick catch crops to keep beds productive.

Watering Strategy: To keep your allotment thriving in the summer heat, water deeply at the roots during the early morning or late evening to minimise evaporation.

You are reminded to use watering cans, if it is not possible for you to use a watering can, use of a hose is permitted but must be actively supervised.

• Water deeply: Soak the soil thoroughly every few days rather than giving a light daily sprinkle.
• Target roots: Apply water directly to the base of the plant using a watering can with the rose removed.
• Perfect timing: Water before the sun gets high or after it sets so leaves dry before nightfall to prevent disease.

Priority Crops:

• Give priority to tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and climbing beans which suffer quickly from drought
• Keep potatoes and swelling root crops consistently damp to prevent splitting
• Reduce watering for maturing onions, garlic, and shallots to help them cure.

Water Retention Techniques:

• Lay a thick layer of compost, straw, or grass clippings over damp soil to lock in moisture
• Remove competing weeds quickly because they steal valuable water from your crops
• Shape the soil into a shallow basin around large plants like squashes to channel water directly down.

Harvesting:

• Pick daily: Runner beans, French beans, courgettes, and tomatoes regularly to encourage more fruit to grow
• Lift roots: Harvest second-early and maincrop potatoes, carrots, and beetroot. Check if onions and shallots are ready to lift and dry
• Check fruit: Pick ripe plums and summer berries.

Sowing and Planting:

• Autumn salads: Sow fast-growing salad leaves like lettuce, rocket, radish, spring onions, and oriental greens
• Winter greens: Plant out winter brassicas like kale and broccoli, and sow Swiss chard or perpetual spinach.

Pruning and Maintenance:

• Berry canes: Cut down summer-fruiting raspberry canes that have already finished fruiting to ground level
• Fruit trees: Summer-prune trained apple and pear trees by trimming side shoots back to promote fruit buds.