It’s Not Too Late: Garden in August!

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Gretchen Scotland

A tomato from my garden about to begin the ripening process!

Gretchen Scotland, Writer

Have you always wanted to start a garden? I know…it’s nearing August (crazy, right?!)…but don’t worry! You can still plant! Here I’m going to explain how you can begin gardening even though we’re halfway through summer.

There are so many reasons you should start planting, but let me just list some of them here:

  • fresh fruits, vegetables, and/or herbs – cooking is a lot more fun when you get to step outside to add the perfect garnish, flavor, or touch to your dish (or make something from your garden the base for your meal!)
  • a new hobby – since we’ve been in quarantine for the last four months, you may have some free time on your hands. Gardening is the perfect new hobby because you can start small and not make it a huge commitment if you don’t want to 🙂
  • spend more time outside – I love being outside when the weather is nice, but sometimes it takes some motivation to get out there. Daily waterings are a perfect way to get outside at least once each day, if not more!
  • a learning opportunity – especially if gardening is completely new to you, you’ll learn something! I’ve been taking care of some kind of plant(s) each summer but this year is my first with beds. Talk about a learning experience! You can always learn something new.
  • stress relief – something about being outside and being with plants that YOU have grown and seeing what YOU can accomplish can have an amazing effect on yourself. It’s very calming and empowering!
Herb transplants that I bought from Home Depot and combined in this big container!

For more benefits of starting a garden click here.

Let me tell you, gardening doesn’t have to be BIG or EXPENSIVE. If you’ve never taken care of a plant or have little experience, great! You’ll learn how!

While it is the end of July, many plants you may have already needed to start from seeds. Below are some of the ones that you can still plant and be able to get a harvest out of this season. You can learn more here and here.

  • Carrots
  • Lettuce
  • Beets
  • Broccoli (transplants)
  • Brussels sprouts (transplants)
  • Cabbage (transplants)
  • Cauliflower (transplants)
  • Peas

*transplants can be found at stores such as Home Depot and Lowes; the other vegetables can be started from seeds

I personally like the transplants made by Bonnie but there are others that work well too. These are quite affordable and are great if you want to combine multiple herbs/flowers in one big container or if you just want to get your fruits/vegetables off on the right foot! Here you can find the specific transplant you may be looking for (I find Home Depot has a bigger selection than Lowes).

I recommend transferring these starter plants to bigger containers as they will grow larger (or combining multiple transplants into a really big container for herbs, flowers, etc. as I mentioned above).

If you’re using seeds (seed packets for almost anything you could possibly ever want to grow will be found at your nearest home improvement store) you’ll also want to buy containers and potting soil (link). This will set you up for major success.

Don’t forget to water your plants every day (usually this is the case…but you may want to do some research on what you’re growing ahead of time!). Have fun with it. If it doesn’t work out the first time, try again next summer!

Happy planting!

My garden!