What to plant in August in Melbourne
August is the month to plant spring seedlings in punnets and some direct into the ground. Should a frost be imminent, cover seedlings the night before with cloth. If the worst comes to the worst and you find frost on your plants the following morning, and the sun has not yet struck them, wash the frost away with water from the hose. If the hose is frozen, fill a watering can with COLD water and do the same.
Plant seeds in punnets in a greenhouse, on a windowsill or beside an external glass door or window
Cucumber, corn, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce and other salad greens, pumpkin, onion family including leek, tomato, silverbeet, spinach, and zucchini.
Plant in punnets on a temperature controlled heat mat indoors if you have one
Capsicum, chilli and eggplant (capsicum family germinate best with a soil temperature between 21C – 35C).
Plant seedlings into soil
Broccoli, cabbage, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, rocket, other salad greens, silverbeet, spinach
Plant seeds direct into the soil
Asian greens, beetroot, mustard greens, parsnip, peas, radish, rocket, swede, turnip and herbs including coriander, chervil and parsley
Tubers
Potatoes direct into the ground. Use certified seed potatoes to avoid disease. Plant away from pumpkins as they are bad companions.
Crowns
Asparagus crowns. Buy from Bulleen Art and Garden. Plant in deep trenches. See planting guide in article below.
Globe Artichoke
Buy plants or cut ‘setts’ off the side of an existing plant with a sharp spade
Netting
Use exclusion netting on Asian greens, broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and turnip
Succession planting
Plant seedlings every few weeks so that they will NOT all be ready for harvest at the same time
Watering
Water soil (not leaves) deeply at least twice per week (rainfall less than 10mm per day does not count). Install dripline if possible.
Useful links
How much sun do my vegies need?
Preparing for a spring/summer garden
Planting in punnets and soil preparation for direct sowing
Instructional video on how to use a pH kit