This week's crime report for Clay County Florida, provided by the Clay County Sheriff's Office.
Has anyone else tried working outside in the garden recently? These days of August are some of the most miserable times to try to keep up with mowing the grass, pulling weeds, and almost any garden chore as the only higher than the temperature is the humidity. If we can take solace in one thing it is that soon fall will be here and August is actually one of the best months to prepare for a beautiful and bountiful garden in autumn.
Fall vegetables
August actually is the time to plant many of our fall crops. We are lucky in Florida that we get two growing seasons for most of our traditionally spring crops so you can put in tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and pole and bush beans now. They should grow well until our first cold snap this winter.
You can also begin to plant your cold weather vegetables now such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, turnips, carrots, kale and lettuce. These can produce throughout much of the winter and if a plant is harvested fully, you can keep replacing them until February. While this month may be one of your worst months of harvest in the garden its one the most busy getting ready for the next wave of fresh produce.
Bring life to the landscape
August temperatures can be absolutely brutal to getting plants started in the landscape but if kept with adequate they can be just fine. In fact, the wet weather we usually have can keep plants very happy even with higher heat.
Many perennials and shrubs can be planted now and into the early fall to give them a bit of time to become established before cold weather forces them into dormancy. With larger trees it may be a good idea to wait until cooler weather to do any planting and most deciduous trees will do very well planted in the middle of winter.
If you are looking to transplant some plants, this month is not usually the best as the extra heat can cause a lot of stress. Wait for cooler weather, especially with large or woody plants, and keep them watered until they are established.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here