Planting Vegetable Seeds in August
Growing food is a way of life for us. Without our vegetable gardens I think we would starve. Fresh food from the garden saves us buckets of money. Fortunately, in our region we can grow almost all year long. We can even start seeds in August for our fall and winter gardens.
You might think August is too hot to start vegetable seeds, but it is the perfect time to get a fall garden going in Southwest regions of the United States. With so many types of food that can be planted now, you can start a garden and enjoy fresh food well into the winter. Think corn, broccoli, beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach, mustard, radishes, onions, garlic, bush beans and more. Many of these will continue growing until the first killing frost. Others will continue to grow even in a freeze.
Starting seeds in hot weather can be a challenge. If the soil is too hot the seeds will not germinate. The trick is to keep the ground cool and moist. Wet the soil thoroughly before planting the seeds, then cover the area with wet burlap or another porous fabric. Keep the fabric moist until the seeds sprout. Remove the fabric once the seedlings have emerged. If the weather is still extremely hot you may need to provide some shade for the tender young plants. The sun can really burn them quickly. Adding mulch when the plants have grown four or six inches tall will help keep the moisture in. It will also help keep the soil cool in hot weather, and warm in colder weather.
Now is the time to get started. There is no need to wait for spring, you can have a delicious garden in the fall and winter. Click on the link above to find a list of vegetables that can be started in August in southwestern regions.
We are looking forward to an abundant fall harvest this year. As many of you know, we grow food to share. It is our contribution to the fight against hunger in our community. You can help us by reading our blog posts, checking out our links and looking at our photos here on Red Gage . You can help even more by sharing our links with your contacts. Every time someone views our pages, we earn just a little bit more money. That money is helping our gardens grow and expand. It has been an exciting year for the Wood Streets Gardens . In the last seven weeks we have donated over 250 pound of fresh food to local food pantries and churches. That's a lot of food. So please, help us spread the word and be a part of what the Wood Streets Gardens is doing. It doesn't cost you anything but a few moments of your time. What a great way to fight hunger!
Remember, if you have a garden growing to share your extras with friends, family, neighbors and local food pantries and soup kitchens. They can use all the help they can get.
