You wander into the garden, after the recent heatwaves, and it is all looking a bit ‘crispy’. One raised bed has a few tomato plants clinging on for dear life, with curled leaves and green tomatoes and the other raised bed has 2 chard seedlings, a rogue sunflower and a tired lettuce plant that has bolted, you are too exhausted to even pull it out, saying you are leaving it for the wildlife and the thought of free seeds for next year.
You walk past the third raised bed, rather sheepishly as you are dreading looking under the courgette plant for the 8th courgette, that’s auditioning to become a marrow.
You stop and stare and your empty raised beds stare back, they have been bare ground, encouraging a ‘weed’ gathering for 3 weeks, now since the onions and garlic were harvested.
And the question is, is it really worth sowing anything now?
Will it all wither in the next heatwave which wasn’t forecasted but has now appeared out of nowhere?
Maybe I’ll just wait until Spring? or should I sow more plants now for autumn/winter harvest?
Welcome to the Annual August Gardening Dilemma.
There are 3 Types of August Growers
Which one is you?
1. The “It’s too hot” Growers
Take a look at the weather forecast, temperature is 30 degrees centigrade today. Walks back inside and say it’s too hot to do gardening. The plants will have to fend for themselves until it’s a bit cooler. Seed packets remain untouched in the shed until March.
2. The “I’ve earned a Break” Grower
Harvests the beans, pulls up the potatoes, clears up the tomato plants. Declares the vegetable garden officially closed for the winter season. The only thing growing in the raised beds will be weeds.
3. The “One More Go” Grower
This grower knows Autumn is slowly sneaking up on us. They spot an empty space where the garlic or onions came out and grab a packet of carrot & beetroot seeds, then buy some spinach & kale seedlings and perhaps some winter lettuce. It’s no big deal, but in 10 minutes, they have somehow filled every empty gap again.
This is me.
Should you Sow anything during a Heatwave?
Yes because autumn vegetables do not care that it is August, they care about having enough time to grow before Winter.
Think Like a Grower
The trick is to think differently. It’s about helping your seeds and seedlings through the difficult bit, the heat at the end of summer.
- Water the soil before sowing.
- Sow in cooler conditions like the evening,
- Keep the compost watered.
- Give seedlings a little shade is there is another heat wave.
- Germination may take a little longer in the heat, practice patience, it will be worth it in the end.
What I’m Growing Next
This Autumn and Winter, I’m giving vegetables another go.
Theres something exciting, like a solo mission, when starting again, whilst everyone else is thinking about winding down for the winter.
I’ll be sowing things like:
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Winter Salads
- Leeks
- Spinach
Some things might struggle and some things might surprise me.
As a grower, every season teaches you something and that’s how slowly you become a better gardener.
Throw back to 2 years ago in August
I was planting out Cauliflower and Spring Cabbage plants in 2024. I missed Kale last year so I’m making an effort to buy Kale and Broccoli seedlings as these are two of my favourite autumn vegetables to eat. I’ll be growing these in my August Diaries series over the next few weeks.
Think Like A Grower
The easiest thing to grow in a raised bed is weeds.
So I’m ignoring the heatwave and I’m filling those gaps.
If you are currently standing and starring at your empty raised beds, wondering whether to call it a day or not, or have one last go….
Come and Join me.
Let’s see what we can harvest when everybody else thinks the season is over.
Some of the Best Veg I’ve grown has been Sown in August
This year I’m writing a series of posts called the August Diaries, to show you exactly what can be sown and planted during a heatwave, for autumn and winter harvests. Hopefully I might inspire you to sow a few Seeds in August for Autumn & Winter harvests.
If you can’t wait….
You have unlocked my:
Attend my pre-recorded Webinar, Winter Veg Made Easy, which is now FREE for a limited time only!
Learn what to sow for winter, fast & slow veg to grow now, netting and fleece you’ll need, soil preparation and more.
sowgrowharvest.co.uk 
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