Gardening tips for August

Your vegetable plot should be providing a plentiful harvest this month.
Ensure you continue to pick the produce as it develops but before it fully matures, as this will ensure a continued supply.
This is particularly true for peas, beans and courgettes.
Harvest courgettes using a sharp knife to avoid torn stems where pests and diseases could take hold.
When harvesting potatoes take care to remove all the tubers, as if there are any left they will sprout next year and become a weed, and will be a reservoir for disease and potato blight spores.
It's often worth forking over a few days after harvesting potatoes because more seem to miraculously appear.
Vegetables which can be sown directly outside include lettuce, Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, endive, kohl rabi, radish and winter spinach.
Many vegetables can be eaten small so experiment with later sowings of carrots and turnips.
In the greenhouse, stop tomato plants now to encourage fruit to swell and ripen.
Continue to keep your tomato side shoots in check, but do not be tempted to remove too many leaves off the main stem as this will weaken the plant and does not, as many people think, speed up the ripening process.
Ensure that tomatoes are watered regularly including a high potash liquid feed as drying out can cause blossom end rot.
Finally, as you continue with your harvest ensure that weeds are kept in check through continued hoeing and ensure that you compost your green waste.

Andrew Wilson
Horticulture manager
Hull City Council