Jobs for the Month

August 2026

Harvesting is one of the main activities this month. You should aim to regularly harvest crops like French beans, runner beans and courgettes to prevent them getting too large, and to encourage new growth.
Certain crops can still be sown this month and planting out of brassicas and leeks can still be done.

Vegetables

  • Harvest 2nd early potatoes and, later in the month, main crop potatoes once the foliage dies down. If signs of blight appear immediately remove the foliage.
  • Pull up onions, shallots and garlic when stems are tops are dry and papery; once fully dry store indoors in  a trays or bags in cool dry area.
  • Continue harvesting courgettes, tomatoes, french beans and runner beans regularly
  • Pick lettuce, radish, carrot and beetroot when they reach required size.
  • Harvest sweet corn when a grain exudes milky juice when tested with a fingernail.
  • Plant out winter brassicas, broccoli, kale and cabbages.
  • Sow Swiss chard, perpetual spinach and make last sowing of beetroot and carrot at the beginning of the month.
  • Sow fast growing ‘catch crops’ for autumn use, such as radish, lettuce, rocket and turnips.
  • Sow oriental vegetables such as mizuna, pak choi and mustard greens for salad leaves- they bolt less at this time of year.
  • Sow parsley to last through till spring and basil on a sunny windowsill.
  • Divide clumps of chives.

Fruit

  • Harvest early ripening apples and pears.
  • Plant new strawberries now, either as detached runners or new plants.
  • Harvest blackberries and plums every few days as they ripen.
  • On grape vines shorten fruit bearing branches to two leaves beyond the fruit bunch.
  • Prune out fruited canes of summer raspberries.
  • Tie in new canes on raspberries and blackberries.
  • Summer prune trained fruit trees such as fans, espaliers and cordons.
  • Prune plum and damson trees after fruiting.

Flowers

  • Pick flowers as they bloom
  • Regularly dead head flowers to encourage further blooms

General

  • Sow green manure crops such as mustard or phacelia to dig in during autumn.
  • Water plants that require it – see Watering Guidelines page for advice
  • Regularly add waste clippings and other organic matter to the compost heap

Gardening for wildlife

  • Leave some wild patches (e.g. nettles, rotting branches) for insects, butterflies and other wildlife to hide and lay eggs in.
  • Remember to top up any water supplies on your plot (e.g. pond or open bucket so that birds can take a drink in the hot weather.

For general tips on wildlife gardening follow this link