August in the Florida garden is a battleground. The heat, humidity, and relentless bugs make it feel like an uphill climb. But fear not! With a little planning and patience, you can still enjoy a productive garden even in the dog days of summer.
Embracing the August Slowdown
Many gardening guides will tempt you with the promise of bountiful harvests if you plant now.
But let’s be real: August in zone 10A is no time for delicate seedlings. Many young seedlings cannot tolerate the intense full sun. While some gardeners use shade cloth to protect their plants, I’m choosing to wait a bit longer for the sun’s intensity to decrease. I’ve learned this the hard way.
So, instead of rushing into fall planting, let’s focus on what actually works in this intense heat. It’s time to embrace the idea of a garden slowdown.
Reviving My Raised Garden Bed
How are your garden beds looking?
My first order of business is to tackle my neglected Vego raised bed. My plan for a summer garden didn’t manifest as I thought it would. It’s a bit of an eyesore right now, and it’s my own fault.
I tried planting Floridade tomatoes, a variety specifically developed by the University of Florida for Florida summers. Despite their reputation, they struggled here, and nothing makes a garden look untidy like an out of control, straggly, bug-eaten tomato plant.
The sweet basil I planted is also finished for the season, and those two plants have managed to take over most of the bed, smothering out the okra I had planted. With a little TLC, I know it can be a productive space once again.
Our first chore in the August garden is to clean up any garden beds that could use a bit of tidying up.
Heat-Tolerant Crops for August
I will be planting:
- Okra: This Southern staple thrives in hot weather. I’m sowing seeds for Okinawa Pink and Jing Orange varieties,both known for their quick maturity. They should be ready for harvesting in October.
- Watermelon: Another heat-loving crop, watermelon is a perfect choice for August planting. I’ve selected Blacktail Mountain, a variety that should be ready to harvest in October as well.
Besides okra and watermelon, which I’ll be direct sowing, there are other heat-tolerant options for August planting. Peppers, especially hot peppers, will thrive in these conditions. Many gardeners say it’s a great time to plant sweet peppers as well, Southern peas and pigeon peas, pumpkins, and tropical greens like amaranth. These crops can handle the August summer heat and provide a steady supply of fresh produce.
My sweet potato vines are thriving! I started them earlier in the season as it is too late to start slips now. They’ve been steadily growing. I’m nurturing two large gardening bags filled with these promising plants, ensuring they stay well hydrated. I can’t wait to harvest the bounty of sweet potatoes they’ll produce later this year!
Herbs to Brighten Up Your August Garden
While the focus is often on heat-tolerant veggies in August, let’s not forget about the wonderful world of herbs! This is a great time to start basil, chives, dill, sweet marjoram, mint, and oregano. I’m particularly excited to plant more of my Pesto Besto basil seeds, and I’m expecting the arrival of a couple of African Blue basil plants later today.
Propagating Basil
Speaking of basil, it’s incredibly easy to propagate. If you have a healthy basil plant, you can easily create new ones. Here’s a quick guide:
- Choose Healthy Stems: Select strong, vibrant stems from a non-flowering basil plant.
- Cut the Stem: Using clean scissors, cut a 4-6 inch section of the stem below a leaf node.
- Prepare the Cutting: Remove the lower leaves, leaving just the top set.
- Place in Water: Submerge the cut end in a glass of water and place it in indirect sunlight.
- Wait for Roots: In about a week, you should see roots developing. Change the water every few days.
- Plant the Cutting: Once roots are about 2 inches long, plant in well-draining soil.
- Care for the New Plant: Keep the soil moist and the plant in a sunny location.
- Transplant (Optional): Once established, you can transplant your basil to the garden.
With a little effort, you can enjoy a bountiful supply of fresh herbs throughout the season. I might try propagating my basil this way instead of starting with my seeds.
Add a Burst of Color to Your August Garden
There’s nothing quite like the vibrant colors of flowers to brighten up a garden, especially during the late summer months. Plus, they attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.
Great options for August planting include blanket flower, cat whiskers (a personal favorite!), goldenrod, pentas, sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, and coreopsis. I have seeds for several of these and can’t wait to get them in the ground.
To help your flowers thrive in the August heat, remember to water deeply, ensuring consistent moisture, especially during the hottest part of the day. Apply a layer of mulch to retain moisture and keep roots cool, and use a balanced fertilizer to provide the essential nutrients your flowers need to flourish.
Planning for Fall
While our gardening friends in the northern states are winding down their gardens, we Floridians are just getting started! As the summer heat begins to ease, it’s the perfect time to start planning for our fall garden.
Once the heat-loving crops like okra and watermelon finish their cycle, I’ll be transitioning to cooler-weather favorites like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and carrots. It’s a gardener’s paradise to have the opportunity to grow fresh produce year-round!
To get a head start on the tomato season, I’m sowing Floradade seeds indoors. This variety is specifically bred for Florida’s hot conditions, but my earlier attempts weren’t entirely successful. I’m hoping for better results this time around.
Eggplant is another crop I’m excited about. I’ll be starting Casper seeds indoors and purchasing Ichaban seedlings from the nursery in September. Ichaban is one of my favorite vegetables – long, slender, and delicious! I can’t wait to enjoy the rich flavor of fresh eggplant in my fall dishes.
Future Gardening Projects
August is the perfect time to begin planning your fall projects. I’m also looking forward to two exciting projects for the cooler months.
The Three Sisters
First, I’ll be trying my hand at the Three Sisters companion planting method—an ancient and time-honored technique that involves growing corn, beans, and squash together. This method, traditionally practiced by Native American tribes, is renowned for its ability to create a symbiotic environment where each plant supports the others.
How It Works:
Corn acts as a natural trellis for the beans, allowing them to climb and reach towards the sun. This vertical growth not only optimizes space but also supports the beans in their quest for sunlight.
Beans, in turn, fix nitrogen in the soil, enriching it with vital nutrients that help sustain both the corn and squash. This natural fertilization process reduces the need for external fertilizers, promoting healthier growth for all three plants.
Squash spreads out along the ground, acting as a living mulch. Its large, broad leaves provide shade, which helps to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds. This protective layer keeps the soil cool and reduces water evaporation, ensuring that the corn and beans have the moisture they need to thrive.
This trio works in harmony, creating a self-sustaining mini-ecosystem. The Three Sisters method not only optimizes space but also promotes healthy soil and reduces the need for external inputs like fertilizers. It’s a wonderful way to connect with traditional gardening practices while reaping the practical benefits of companion planting.
I’m excited to see how this experiment turns out, and I’m hopeful that the synergy between these plants will lead to a bountiful harvest!
Container Vegetable Growing
And for those with limited space, I’m planning an exciting container vegetable garden experiment. The goal? To prove that even if you’re living in an apartment with just a small patio or balcony, you can still enjoy the satisfaction of growing your own fresh produce.
The Plan:
I’ll be focusing on compact vegetable varieties that are specifically suited for container gardening. These plants are bred to thrive in small spaces, making them perfect for urban gardeners or anyone without a traditional garden plot.
I’m pretty excited about the seeds I’ve ordered for this garden. Like many of my seeds, they come from Botanical Interests.
Disclaimer: The FCC requires me to inform you that some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. I have personally purchased this item for my own use. I like Botanical Interests because I believe they offer the best seed quality and value. If you click on a link, your price will remain the same, and if you choose to make a purchase, we may earn a small commission that helps cover the costs of running this website.
If you would like to purchase this collection as well, click here to go to Botanical Interests and purchase.
Botanical Interests Container Vegetable Collection
The collection contains the following seeds:
- Contender Bush Bean: Why is this bean called ‘Contender’? Because it vies for the number one spot among beans! And rightly it should; a stringless favorite since 1949, it produces after only 50 days from sowing, and tolerates heat and powdery mildew where other varieties suffer. Disease resistant.
- Tonda di Parisi Carrot: Small size, but big flavor! ‘Tonda di Parigi’, Italian for “Round of Paris”, is deep orange, sweet and tender, and the round shape is a unique feature among carrots. Shallow roots mean you can grow it in a shallower bed or even in a container!
- Spacemaster 80 Cucumber: Has your garden ever been overrun by cucumber plants? ‘Spacemaster 80′ is the solution! Its 2’–3’ vines make it the ideal choice for small growing areas including containers. It produces large numbers of flavorful, full-sized slicing cucumbers, perfect for snacking, salads, and sandwiches, and even for pickling when harvested small. Disease resistant.
- Dwarf Blue Curled Kale: Dwarf Blue Curled’, from the 1800s, is extremely hardy and will overwinter in all but the coldest climates. Like most greens, it grows best in cool weather but will also withstand some heat. Leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. The flavor of the leaves is sweetened after a light frost; delicious in winter soups!
- Little Gem Mini-Romaine Lettuce: Also called ‘Sucrine’ or ‘Sugar Cos’, ‘Little Gem’ is an English heirloom that is a small variety of romaine, but has the succulent sweetness of a butterhead. The glossy-leafed heads are a petite, 6″ tall and 4″ wide—the perfect size for an individual dinner salad. The tender, blanched heart is ideal for any recipe that calls for “hearts of romaine.”
- Tokyo Long White Bunching/Scallion Onion: These Japanese scallions are long, slender, and mild. Slice these sweet onions and juicy, bluish-green tops into salads, soups, stews, and stir-fry dishes. Ideal for summer and fall harvests, heat-tolerant plants can be blanched in the garden or a container for 16″–18″ long, white, leek-like stalks. Disease resistant to pink root and smut.
- California Wonder Sweet Pepper: An old-time favorite since 1928 for good reason! ‘California Wonder’s’ large, uniform shape makes it ideal for stuffing. Delicious grilled, they are perfect for shish kabobs. Peppers left on the plant will turn a beautiful, bright red, and have more vitamin C than an orange! Good container variety, and dependable performer even in short season climates.
- Lavewa Spinach: Rich, green color on productive plants, ‘Lavewa’ is an open-pollinated variety that competes with hybrids for flavor, heat tolerance, and mildew resistance. Spinach is high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and low in calories.
- Emerald Delight Summer Squash: Zucchini are notorious for playing hide-and-seek (and winning)! ‘Emerald Delight’ was developed with a more compact, open growing habit, to make it easier to spot those elusive, tasty squash. Home-grown squash is first-rate, and one of the most versatile of vegetables. Plants are resistant to powdery mildew, zucchini yellow mosaic virus, and watermelon mosaic virus 2.
- Cherry Falls Bush Tomato: Cherry Falls’ is where beauty and function meet. Compact plants are perfect for containers and large hanging baskets where the vines displaying the abundant clusters of 1½”, bright red tomatoes are quite ornamental. Vigorous vines produce an abundant crop throughout the growing season. Quick to mature, you will be enjoying this delicious cherry tomato in no time!
This experiment is about more than just growing vegetables—it’s about empowering people to create their own little slice of green, no matter where they live.
Gardening in containers offers the flexibility to move plants around to catch the best sunlight, and it’s a great way to get started with gardening if you’re new to it. By choosing the right varieties and giving them a little care and attention, even a small container garden can yield a rewarding harvest.
This mini garden project is my way of showing that fresh, homegrown produce isn’t just for those with sprawling gardens—it’s something everyone can enjoy, no matter how limited their spaces.
My Five Top August Tips
Protect Seedlings from Heavy Rains
August often brings heavy rain, especially during hurricane season. Torrential downpours can easily damage or wash away delicate seedlings. I’ve learned this the hard way. One year, a particularly brutal storm flattened my entire sweet corn crop – a heartbreaking sight I’m determined not to repeat.
Use cloches, row covers, or even large plastic bottles with the bottoms cut off to protect young plants. You can also plant seedlings in raised beds or containers with good drainage to prevent waterlogging.
Manage Pests Proactively
The heat and humidity of August create a perfect breeding ground for pests like aphids, caterpillars, and whiteflies.
I don’t like to use pesticides on my plants, especially in my edible garden, so I focus on natural methods.
Regularly inspect your plants for signs of pests.
A simple formula to make your own soapy concoction is to mix one teaspoon of dish soap and one teaspoon of neem oil in a quart of water. This can help keep pest infestations at bay.
For caterpillars, handpicking is effective, but if the infestation is too great, I use Spinosad. Earlier this year, I had some caterpillars destroying my desert roses, and Spinosad was my go-to solution.
Companion planting with marigolds, which repel many pests, can also be helpful.
Water Wisely
While the weather is hot, overwatering can still be a problem, leading to root rot or fungal diseases, especially with the high humidity.
Water your garden early in the morning to allow foliage to dry out during the day, reducing the risk of fungal infections. Focus on deep watering, ensuring the soil is moist down to the root zone, but avoid letting water pool around your plants.
Provide Shade for Seedlings
The intense summer sun can scorch sensitive plants, especially those not well-established.
Use shade cloth, garden umbrellas, or even taller plants to provide shade for more delicate crops like young seedlings. Our intense Florida sun is no joke – besides burning you within minutes, it can kill young seedlings within a couple of hours.
Start Planning for Fall
August is the perfect time to prepare for your fall garden, even if it’s too early to plant cool-season crops.
Clean up garden beds, amend the soil with compost or organic matter, and plan to soon start seeds indoors for crops like broccoli, cabbage, and leafy greens. Planning ahead will give your fall garden a strong start as the temperatures begin to cool down.
By following these tips, you can navigate the challenges of August gardening and set your garden up for success in the coming months!
Wrapping Up Your August Garden
While August may be the height of summer, it’s a dynamic time for Florida gardeners. By focusing on heat-tolerant crops, planning ahead for fall, and adding bursts of color with flowers, you can enjoy a thriving garden throughout the season.
Remember, with a little care and attention, your outdoor oasis will continue to flourish.
Happy gardening!
Please check out these articles I’ve written for additional information:
- Basil: From Kitchen Staple to Natural Medicine Cabinet
- Florida Wildflower Stars: Blanketflower and Coreopsis Plants
- Guide for June Vegetable Gardening in 10A Florida (has information on growing okra and sweet potatoes)
- March Madness in My 10A Garden (has information on growing Three Sisters)
- Zinnias: Versatile and Easy to Grow in Florida
Additional Resources:
- Florida Vegetable Gardening (YouTube video): What To Plant In Your Florida Vegetable Garden In August
- Miami Mom Collective: Edible Gardening Calendar: What to Plant & When in South Florida!
- UF/IFAS Extension: Florida Gardening Calendar
- Wild Floridian (YouTube video): August Vegetables: What to plant in your Florida Vegetable Garden Month by Month