As the sun begins to get lower and our shadows become longer, it's a reminder that even in the midst of summer, fall is not far behind.  With that in mind, our August gardening takes a turn toward care-taking and preparation for the seasons to come.  Here are some thoughts to help keep our “august” (or not so “august”) gardens and trees healthy all year long. 

YOUR EDIBLE GARDEN:  If you are fortunate enough to have apricot or cherry trees in your yard, now is the time to prune them to prevent the fungal disease Eutypa.  Do it now and don't wait for winter.  Your young fruit and citrus trees are ready for the second half of their annual fertilizing.  Did your melons, pumpkins, or winter squash take over your garden? You did something right. Now is the time to keep them from rotting and getting insect damage by setting them on boards.  Equally important, keep picking up all your fallen fruit regularly.  If left to rot on the ground, pests and diseases know how to find them!

National Zucchini Day, August 8th, has passed…so no more sneaking that crop onto your neighbors' front porches!  And, if you've run out of friends and family to leave surprise baskets of your bounty on their doorsteps, our local food banks are always grateful to receive them.

FLOWERING BEDS & BORDERS: This is a wonderful time to rethink those beds and make herbs a part of an edible landscape.  Think ahead about planting a tree such as bay or laurel or include structural shrubs such as sage, lavender, or rosemary.  For a fragrant border, including a creeping ground cover of thyme or colored basils, parsley or coriander makes a delicious addition

WATER—CALIFORNIA'S NEW GOLD:  If just thinking about the heat of August and September makes you rush for another glass of water, imagine your garden during this time of year. While our lawns should have turned “California Gold”—or, better yet, been planted with drought tolerant natives and interesting hardscape materials, your trees, shrubs, and vegetables are as thirsty as we are.  Deep soak vegetable gardens, fruit and landscape trees, shrubs, and perennials.  Replenish mulch 2”-4” deep to keep that moisture in.  However, don't let those drooping leaves on hot afternoons fool you into thinking the soil is too dry. Double-check by sticking your finger down a couple of inches and water only if your soil really is dry.

PESTS:  Yes, while we want to think of our gardens as an unblemished oasis, the only way to keep it so is to be on the lookout for those pesky pests.  This is the time of year that sap-sucking whiteflies on warm-season veggies are a problem.  Sticky honeydew or black sooty mold is a tell-tale sign of infestation.  Quickly reduce populations by removing infested plant parts.  You can use sprays of water, yellow sticky traps, or spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap.  Check and treat the underside of leaves where whiteflies lay eggs.  If your plant is quickly declining, remove it.  Ants are an important “tell” regarding pests.  Control ants and you'll reduce sucking insects such as aphids which farm them.  And, of course, keep weeding! Those sneaky guys will compete with your landscape plants for water and nutrients—so keep on weeding.

Most of all, keep on enjoying your garden and the waning, wonderful days of summer.