August in South Carolina is hot and muggy. Typically, this is hurricane season, so we tend to get plenty of rain pushed up from the gulf/coast. While this does save some water, it also makes it inconsistent. My tomatoes split a lot this time of year de to too much water. Its also hard to be consistent with the quantities and it gives you a false sense of security so you don’t go out and water at time when it is needed.

Things slow down significantly in late July due to the heat, so harvest is usually limited. This year, the exception to that is watermelon! We have had 3 big sweet watermelons so far this year, and there are still a couple on the vines right now that will be ready soon. We will still get a cucumber every now and then, as well as peppers. Tomatoes at this point have been devastated by pests and too much rain but if I’m picky, I can find a few.

Maintenance during August is tough. At this point, I get a bit tired of going out in the heat and doing the same ole’ things. But it is time to get rid of those old, yucky tomatoes and anything that hasn’t held up through the July heat. Its also time for some clearing and prep for the next season which I’ll talk about below.

Pests this time of year actually seem to slow down. I get a lot of leaf-footed bugs in July but in August, I tend to see their numbers drop. I’ve also noticed a lot of assassin bugs around, which is not unrelated. There are still lots of bees and wasps out and about, and around this time, they like to move over and decimate my fig crop which has started. 

August is the time of year for the winter changeover. Which means a couple days of hard work. Here are the typical to-do items for the changeover:

1. Clearing summer plants
2. Making a new compost pile with those plants in the unused bin + sawdust from the garage
3. Adding compost to the growing rows
4. Adding mulch to my walking rows
5. Moving the cucumber/bean trellises
6. Ordering winter seeds and supplies as needed
7. Heavier weeding