The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Horticultural Tips

for August

I hope our Chouteau County gardeners have had a productive year growing vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs. Below are a few tips for the month of August.

• Renovate strawberries by mowing a minimum of every three years. Some people mow their strawberries every year following fruit production. Be sure to set the mower high enough to mow the leaves. Mowing to low may damage the crowns and kill the plant.

• Topdress strawberries after harvest with a complete fertilizer like 16-16-16.

• Pinch the tops of indeterminate tomatoes and reduce watering to promote ripening.

• Pull dry bulb onions and dig garlic when the tops on 75% of the plants have fallen over.

• Cure drybulb onions prior to storage.

• Harvest cabbage before the cabbage heads split.

• Gather and sow hollyhock seeds where desired.

• Transplant lilies after the foliage has died down.

• Scale back on water to help plants harden off for winter. Supply sufficient water to prevent wilting but not enough to allow for lush new growth.

• Turn the soil as soon as each crop is off.

• The best time to seed a lawn is in mid-August to mid-September. Annual weeds do not have time to produce a crop of seed, and the grass has the entire fall and early spring to become established before the heat and stress of summer. Lightly rake and roll to incorporate the seed into the soil. Don’t bury grass seeds more than ¼ inches. Hydro-mulch (wood fiber sprayed with water on to the lawn surface) is effective in holding moisture, reducing soil erosion and promoting germination.

Information for this article came from the MSU Extension Montana gardener’s book of days and the MSU Extension Montana Master Gardener Handbook which are both available for purchase from the MSU Extension Chouteau County Office.

Montana State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.