August in the Houston Garden
Fall is right around the corner!
Make sure to check your irrigation settings. For our clients with drip irrigation, we water about 30 minutes per day. As it gets hotter out, you may need to increase the time more. If your plants look very wilted in the late afternoon and to not look like they have recovered right before dark, they probably need more water during the day. Best practice is watering once in the early morning and a second time right before dark, to give the roots time to absorb the water. Here’s why we think drip is the smartest way to water your garden.
As we approach a new season, it is a great time to add compost to your beds! As you start adding fall plants to the garden, you should also add fresh compost to the garden to provide your new plants with fresh nutrition. Don’t want to do the dirty work? The Monarch Team can help! We can also deliver bags of our favorite compost straight to you!
SHOP our 2024 Planting Calendar! Find the exact planting dates our team uses to keep our clients’ gardens thriving in Houston (Zone 9) year-round. Gardening is our full-time job. The Monarch team works in gardens all over Houston Monday-Friday, every single week. We guarantee our clients’ can eat out of their gardens 52 weeks of the year! When you make a promise like that one, it’s important to have a solid planting plan. We pass all of our knowledge on to you in our planting calendar!
Now is the time to start planning for your fall garden! Struggling in the garden and wondering what to do to turn things around? Consider scheduling a personalized coaching session before the fall. We’ll stop by, assess your growing space, and give you pointers (and lots of high-fives and encouragement). Your fall season will be your best season yet!
Wanting to add more gardening space? The fall and winter gardens in Houston are to die for. Now is the best time to make a plan for adding more growing space. The Monarch Team can stop by for a consultation and help you make a plan.
Okra plants grow so quickly, you’ll want to check the plant daily. Almost overnight it will seem like okra goes from being too small to too large to eat! You can harvest okra at several different stages to see what you like best.
Having tall plants like okra and eggplant near your trellis is going to be key to planting tomatoes this month! We will likely continue to see high temps through August and September, but still want to plant our tomatoes in late August/early September in order to guarantee harvest before December in the case of an early frost. Tall plants will provide your small tomato plants with a much needed shade break during the hot days.
We start planting fall tomatoes this month! Do you have Houston’s Fall Tomato Guide? This guide has everything you need to know about starting tomatoes this fall in Houston!
In August, we plant vinca, pentas, gomphrenas and zinnias in the garden for pollination. These flowers will live until there is a frost.
Zinnias are a fun flower to grow in the summer, as the come in lots of colors and blooms! They are a great flower for cutting and making bouquets. Here’s how to cut zinnias!
FREE! Download our Monthly Tasks and Tips for the garden and landscaping. We’ll keep you on track throughout the year. You’ll know when it’s time to add compost, what flowers are in season, when to plant bulbs, when to mulch, and so much more.
HELPFUL LINKS
Buy our 2024 Planting Calendar now!
Follow us on Instagram and/or TikTokfor daily garden inspiration!
Wanting to start a patio garden? You’ll love our Patio Salad Planter! Grow salad greens and herbs year-round on your patio AND get our online course to learn exactly how to care for your planter for FREE!
Need help designing and installing landscaping beds or rethinking your outdoor spaces? We'll be right over. Get started HERE.
Check out our Amazon Storefront for products we love in the garden and other fun items we use to bring the garden to our table!
Order your plants and compost for delivery! Plant Order
Want seasonal recipes and ideas for how to make the garden a part of your everyday life? Check out Monarch Living!
Wanting a garden of your very own? Want to add more garden beds? We'd love to help you create your dream garden space. Click HERE to start the process.
Looking for ongoing help taking care of your vegetable garden? Check out what Monarch Garden Company Maintenance has to offer (it's a lot)!
Need garden coaching? Wanting to plant something new? Things not going great in your garden? Want some help troubleshooting? Learn more about our Garden Coaching and get on the schedule!
