August
In The Fruit Garden This August
Remember to feed your lemon tree and other citrus fruit trees throughout summer with a special citrus fertiliser.
If you have plants fruiting in containers, make sure you give them a high potash liquid feed to keep them healthy and productive.
Harvest your fruit trees such as cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots should all be ripe now. Early varieties of apple trees will be ready towards the end of the month.
Plant out any rooted runners of strawberries for a good crop next year.
Prune the fruits stems of your blackcurrant bushes after harvesting.
Cut back the fruited canes of your summer raspberries, leaving new green canes for next year’s crop. Tie in next year’s raspberry canes to support wires or fencing.
Tidy up strawberry plants and remove any straw form around the plants to improve ventilation and reduce the risk of pests and diseases.
Keep birds and squirrels off your berries with netting.
Top Tip:
If you have a glut of autumn raspberries, blackberries or loganberries, freeze them on trays for a couple of hours and then bag them up to use over winter.
This Month's Key Tips
- Deadhead flowering plants regularly.
- Keep ponds and water features topped up.
- Watering - particularly containers and new plants, preferably with recycled water or stored rainwater.
- Harvest vegetables regularly as they become ready to promote new growth.
