Ideas for Your Late Summer Garden To-Do List

Late summer can be a difficult time in the garden, with hot, humid days, cool nights, and plants becoming stressed. During this time, gardeners should follow the late summer garden practices to enjoy the final weeks of summer and prepare their gardens for the fall. It is a perfect time to pause, assess your garden, and do what is necessary to maintain productivity. You can plant seeds and bulbs in August that will keep producing flowers, herbs, leafy greens, and root crops in the coming months.

In this article, we will share some ideas you can add to your late summer garden to-do list to keep your garden beautiful and thriving until fall.

1. Harvest Your Fruit and Vegetables

Continue harvesting the vegetables and fruits you have left to encourage production and reduce pest problems. Insects are drawn to overripe vegetables. Pull in those tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, apples, kale, herbs, squash, pears, and whatever you have grown in your garden. Consider safely storing your harvest. In addition, harvest-cut flowers to encourage the growth of new ones. Cutting flowers should be done in the early morning when their stems are hydrated.

2. Deadhead and Prune Perennials

Remove dead flowers and plants to encourage longer blooms and tidy the garden. Deadheading refers to removing dead flowers from the plant to keep many flowers blooming. However, it is not essential for winter flowering plants like hydrangeas, globe thistles, and sedums.

Use sharp, clean pruners to trim perennial plants that are starting to fade or showing disease signs. Cut above healthy new growth. Cut back to a few inches above the ground or healthy new growth depending on the plant. This will promote new growth and prevent disease spread.

3. Remove Spent Annuals

If you notice that annual plants are declining, they are likely spent. Removing spent annuals from the garden is crucial to prevent pests, disease, and fungal issues. The common signs showing that your annual plant has reached this stage include yellowing leaves, fading blooms, disease damage, decreased flower production, wilting, and formation of seed pods. Pull them out gently and shake off the extra soil. If they are disease-free, add them to the compost pile. Replace spent plants with late-summer and fall plants to keep your garden vibrant and eye-catching.

4. Pull up Weeds

Weeds thrive in heat and can quickly grow from little to giant. They can compete with your trees, shrubs, and flowers for nutrients, water, and light. Weeds steal moisture and nutrients from plants, so remove them as soon as possible. Additionally, many weeds lead to pests and disease problems. The weeds you remove now will not be present next season. They are easiest to pull while they are small and young. Also, moist soil makes weeding easier. Another reason to handle them when they are young is to prevent them from producing seeds.

5. Start Planting Fall Blooming Perennials

Start planting fall color in late summer. Plant mums and pansies in late August for vibrant fall color; they will make beautiful replacements for summer annuals in containers. Add fall-blooming perennials such as sedums, helenium, fall asters, and Japanese anemones to add beauty to your garden and to help pollinators.

Read More: Fall Gardening for Beginners

6. Grow a Fall Vegetable Garden

Summer vegetables will fade when temperatures start getting cool. Days are becoming shorter, so long-day and heat-loving vegetables won't thrive anymore. In late summer, start planting fall vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, greens, and other cool-loving vegetables. Root crops and leafy greens can withstand cooler temperatures. In addition, you have enough time to plant another crop of herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro, and chamomile. This way, you can enjoy fresh harvests come fall.

7. Divide and Transplant Perennials

Divide mature perennials like daylilies, peonies, and astilbe that are starting to overcrowd the area. Transplant them to different areas in your garden or gift them to friends and neighbors. Divide plants 4-6 weeks before the ground freezes, giving the roots enough time to settle in.

8. Watch Out for Pests and Plant Diseases

A summer garden is a breeding ground for pests and diseases unless you keep them in check. Late summer is a crucial time to fight plant-destroying pests and diseases. Check plants and remove any diseased foliage, branches, or produce. Look for Late Blight, a fungal infection on potatoes and tomatoes. It is essential to keep an eye on bugs and diseases throughout the growing season. Some common summer garden problems to look for include blackspot, powdery mildew, rust, Japanese beetles, and cucumber beetles. Discard diseased plants instead of adding them to the compost pile.

Read More:10 Common Plant Diseases and How to Treat Them

9. Add Mulch to Your Garden Beds

Late summer mulching can improve moisture retention, block weeds, and add organic matter to soil for a thriving garden. Spread a 2-3-inch layer of mulch in your garden beds. This will help extend the growing season and make your garden flourish in the fall. A solid mulch layer can stabilize soil temperatures during chilly winter months. Leaves are a beneficial substitute for mulch since they provide nutrients to soil and plants after decomposing.

10. Water Trees and Shrubs Properly

In the late summer, water your container plantings, annuals, newly planted perennials, and vegetable plants to help them go into fall fully hydrated. Proper watering is more important for evergreens because they keep their needs throughout the winter season, and dehydrated evergreens can suffer from winter burns.

When it comes to watering your plants, it's best to do so in the early morning and avoid the middle of the day to prevent evaporation. Consider using a drip irrigation system to conserve water further and ensure it delivered precisely to the plants' roots. This technology is a game-changer, reducing water waste and promoting healthier plants.

11. Install Outdoor Lights

Last but not least, add landscape lighting to your garden and outdoor seating area to enjoy your outdoor space in cooler evenings. Outdoor lights add beauty to your space and increase the safety of your home. Path lights, string lights, spotlights, step lights, and underwater lights can create a warm ambiance in your yard.

The Bottom Line

The key to maintaining a beautiful garden in late summer is to continue caring for it, preparing it for fall, and adding features that add beauty. Despite the challenges posed by summer's record heat and humidity, these practical ideas will empower you to refresh your garden and give it an energy boost for dry weather.