Landscapes, Gardens & More in the Florida Panhandle

August 2018

August, a hot month with thunder storms if we are lucky. Some of us have been on vacation and some are hurrying to go and get back before school starts. With all the back to school shopping and last minute things to do that we promised the children, we have taken a vacation from our lawns, fall garden and landscape.

The grass we tried to keep cut but the weeds took over our shrub and flower beds. Early morning and late evening is the time to do the cleaning in the beds. I know, it will not be long until fall and the summer weeds will die and we can put down some fresh mulch and hide it all. This is a great idea if we wish to fight all the seed that we hid under the mulch. They will start coming up and next year we will have a better crop of weeds in the flower bed. By pulling them up now before the seeds drop we can avoid most of the new crop. As soon as you have the beds clean, it is a good idea to put down new mulch to try to stop the germination of winter weeds that are soon to start. Happy pulling.

Back to the lawn. With it being so hot and dry we need to take care and cut the grass at the right height. Here is a list of grasses and the recommended height to cut them. St Augustine: 3.5 to 4 inches, Bermuda: .5 to 2 inches, Bahia: 3-4 inches, Centipede: 1.5 to 2 inches, Buffalo: 1.5 to 3 inches and Zoysia: 1 to 2 inches.

Now let’s look at the fall Garden. We can go ahead and till the area and get the soil ready. Here is a list of crops that you can plant in August: Bush beans, Pole beans, Lima beans, Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Peppers and Squash. This list is not complete but may help you decide when to start putting seed in for the fall garden. Be sure to turn on top of the garden irrigation this time of the year. Young plants will die quickly from like of water.

If we can help, please contact us at 850-638-8243, maphistreefarm@bellsouth.net or visit us at 1534 Orange Hill Rd, Chipley, FL 32428.