August Gardening Tasks you should be doing; Zone 3.

August is the beginning of the end of garden season. You’ve probably gotten at least one harvest off your vegetables, and the rest are right behind. It almost seems like a dormant month for the gardener, patiently waiting for the bountiful harvest to preserve and stock their vegetables and preserves shelf. But, there are a few garden things that can be done in the month of August to help you pass the time before the harvest rush.

1.       Save seeds

If you have certain plants that grew and yielded really well this year, save their seeds! The parent plant's genetics will be saved in that seed, passing on the likelihood of a prosperous year next year as well. Some fruits and vegetables pass the seeds along inside the flesh of the edible part of the plant. Plants where you eat the whole plant, like lettuce, herbs, or certain edible flowers, you can leave in the soil after harvesting what you want, allowing the plant to bloom and produce seeds rather than pulling the plant out of the soil.

2.       Remove excess tomato flowers

By removing excess tomato flowers, the plant will be able to focus on ripening the tomatoes that are already growing rather than growing more fruit.

3.       Start to harden off perennials

By mid-August you should be thinking of hardening off your perennials for the cold winter months. I know that in the heat of summer, no one likes to be thinking about the dead of winter and the cold frosty ground, but preparing your plants can improve the likelihood that they all come back in the spring. To begin ‘toughening them up’ reduce the frequency and amount that they get watered to prepare them for dormancy.

4.       Be prepared for frost

Sometimes, frost comes way earlier than expected. Having sheets or cold frames prepared and ready to go when the temperature looks like it will dip below freezing is helpful to extend your growing season by a couple of weeks!

5.       Remove tender bulbs/ corms

Certain flowers are perennials in warmer zones, but the here in zone 3 kills the plant. These delicate bulbs (calla lilies, dahlias, ranunculus) can all be brought inside and stored in a cool garage for the winter to keep them viable for spring planting.

6.       Plant your spring bulbs

Plant spring-blooming flowers like daffodils, crocuses, and tulips in the fall. They’ll be the first plants you see when the weather warms, a sure sign of spring!

While you're accomplishing these last few tasks of summer, don't forget to bask in the beauty of your garden and enjoy the harvest. Before we know it, it will be cold and snowy outside and we'll have to get creative gardening indoors.