August Things to Do Right Now in the Garden

Please don't try to go out in the heat of the day to do anything. Work in the early morning if at all possible.

1. Water deeply. Do not just sprinkle your plants. Everything needs to receive enough water to reach the majority of the roots. Then don't water again until the soil dries out.
2. With potted plants, even while following rule number one, you will probably have to water every day, since the pot is exposed to the heat from the sides.
3. Treat for weeds in the garden and pathways.  You can choose from traditional products such as Roundup, or go completely organic with sprays that contain vinegar and other natural products to kill weeds.  Corn gluten meal is a natural weed killer, but only works as such as a pre-emergent.
4. Look through seed catalogs for seeds to order for fall plantings.  You can plant seeds of lettuces and other greens under grow lights indoors to be planted outside when the weather cools off.  You will need to start them four to six weeks before you want to set them out in the garden, so estimate when that will be.  I personally plan to set things out around the first of October, unless we get some rain that cools things off before that.
5. Dead-head spent flowers on your blooming plants such as zinnias.  This will cause the plants to produce more flowers.  On many plants, if you let the seeds develop, the plant thinks it is finished and it is time to shut down or even die.
6. If you have mums that made it through the summer, keep all buds trimmed off until the first of September.  Then let them grow.
7. Keep the lawn mowed so that you don't cut off more than a third of the blades at any one mowing.  It stresses the grass, and right now, it has enough problems just trying to stay alive in this heat.