Ten Tips for the August Gardener

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Photo credit: Clemson University

It’s a beautiful weekend – UConn Extension offers these ten tips for all of you working in your gardens:

1. Pick summer squash and zucchini every day or two to keep the plants producing.

2. Keep an eye out for insect, slug and snail damage throughout the garden.

3. Colorful plastic golf tees can be stuck in the ground to mark the location of dormant plants such as spring flowering bulbs or perennials.

4. Check on water needs of hanging baskets daily in the summer. Wind and sun dry them much more quickly than other containers.

5. Plant another row of quick-maturing bush beans.

6. Think about what fruits trees you might like to add to your yard this fall.

7. Sketch out where you planted various vegetables in your garden so that next spring when you plant, you can rotate your crops to help prevent disease.

8. Late August is a good time to renovate strawberry beds.

9. Stop pruning evergreen trees and shrubs to avoid promoting new growth that may not harden off before first frost.

10. Do not add weeds with mature seed heads to the compost pile. Many weed seeds can remain viable and germinate next year when the compost is used.