This is a guest post written by my buddy Heather from Massachusetts. I thought it would be fun this year to post Monthly Garden Chores from both the West Coast and East Coast. You can see my August garden plans for my Seattle, Washington garden HERE.
Well you guys are gonna laugh yourselves right off your chairs! And not one good laugh but TWO!
Giggle #1: Earlier in the season I was rather proud of myself because I have an unfenced garden and was CONVINCED that the hair I sprinkled around the outside of my garden prevented unwanted critters from eating from my garden like the proverbial salad bar. Well yesterday the HH was watering the garden for me and there was a great scurrying inside the jalapeno box. Upon further inspection we found SIX BABY BUNNIES. Not only did momma bunny get into my 12″ high garden box, but gave birth in there, and then raised her babies. Good grief.
Smirk #2: Remember my massive plot to conquer the chipmunk invasion I had last year? Those little buggers would take one bite, out of every tomato ruining them, and then move on to another tomato – it drove me mad! So this year I stuffed hair in the rock wall, encircled my garden in marigolds and planted a marigold in the corner of each box. I was determined to thwart the chipmunks once and for all. And I thought I had succeeded because I have not seen one.single.chipmunk. Then my neighbor came over to pay me for some eggs and pick-up another dozen and she had mentioned that she loved watching the new neighbors cat because it would perch itself on her garden bench and pick off the chipmunks day in and day out. Huh.
Soooo basically, a good ol’ fashioned hungry cat or two can remedy your garden of unwanted critters. Who knew? Oh, yeah, every single non-suburbian gardener ever.
Seeds I’m Starting Indoors this Month
Back in March my daughter and I made some {read: 29} winter sowing greenhouses. I had winter sown a lot of perennial bloom, lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, and marigolds and it worked really well.
Check it out – I was able to create a wildflower garden next to the garden and the beginning of a lavender hedge for the front yard!
What I Plan to Transplant Outside this Month
Don’t you just love a bonus? Turns out mother nature is a waaaay better gardener than I am because although I purposely planted 8 tomato plants – I’ve ended up with 30! Volunteers are the name of the game that’s for sure!
7 Volunteer Tomatoes seen staked here and 2 more in the compost pile seen in the background. 
4 more volunteer tomato plants in the “hot mess” photo above, 3 more in another “hot mess” box, 2 in barrels, plus 4 in front of the chickens – in addition to the 8 I caged and staked in a garden box = 30!
And not only tomatoes – cucumbers volunteered too! I’m not sure if the cucumbers will have time to produce fruit still this season, but I’m AMAZED how well they’re growing!
And look at this hot mess! One tomato I planted, 5 that volunteered, carrots and onions. They’re messy and they like it!
Plants and/or Bulbs I Plan to Purchase this Month
Well I never plan to buy anything, but then, well I walk into HD and there’s a plant sale! What’s a girl to do?
What I plan to Harvest This Month
In August so far I’ve harvested jalapenos, lettuce, Swiss chard {the HH picked some and tried to eat it but it didn’t pass the test ;)}, cherry tomatoes, celery, chamomile, lemon balm, basil, chocolate mint, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and I think the potatoes are done.
Houseplants and Indoor Bulbs
I moved a lot of house plants outside this summer, which is good for them I think, but it also makes my deck look all Better-Home-and-Gardens-ish.
Trees and Shrubs
Lemon is alive and well, the blueberry bushes are thriving, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t get a firm “no” from the HH on the addition of apple trees 🙂 so I’ll start that plotting that plan in the fall when the nurseries have sales.
Weed and Pest Control
I found a recipe floating around the internet of a mixture of 1 gallon vinegar, 2 cups Epson salt and a 1/2 cup of dish soap – shake and spray after weeding and re-applying every three weeks it seems to be working. The key is to re-apply, which is a little tedious but it’s way better than using round up!
Lawn Care
Remember that blank weird looking island in the middle of my front yard? After cutting down some rotten trees I was at a loss of what to do with it for a while. Pinterest to the rescue 🙂 Check out my little flower garden!
My secret pumpkin patch, plopped in a flower bed in the front yard. It’s tinny-tiny but already has two pumpkins.
Don’t you just love this time of year?
**These garden chores are based on my Zone 5b Southeast/Boston MA location. Find your garden zone HERE.
Francisca says
Your plants look awesome. My tomatoes are growing well…. but they are not producing as much fruit as I think they should and the actual plants are pretty small. They are determinate so I knew they wouldn’t be to tall but …. I am un sure. I planted marigolds in the same pots as the tomatoes but they seem to be out growing the tomatoes. Do I need to worry that they are getting to big and taking away from the tomatoes?
Lisa says
Adventures in gardening!
I had some plants “volunteer” out of a whiskey barrel next to my back porch. I first thought they were beans when they first sprouted, then I thought they were cukes. Then I figured they were squash when they started overflowing the barrel. But what kind of squash. I’ve only ever planted butternut and acorn. So I waited for it to fruit. And waited. And waited. Finally! They appear to be pumpkins. I’ve never planted pumpkins, so I can only imagine some seeds from last year’s jack o’lanterns dropped in. So far I’ve seen 5 little squashed growing and there may be more. We may be able to supply the entire street with pumpkins this year.
Also, I had one of my raised beds planted with lettuce, chard, spinach and sugar snap peas. All spring, some critter kept eating them. After a while, some tomatoes started volunteering so I let them figuring I should get something out of that box. Now it’s crammed full of tomato plants. I’ve only seen some cherry tomatoes popping up. It’s been a cool summer here in MI, so everythings seems to be taking it’s sweet time.