Latest / ATXGardens Podcast / What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (Aug 15–31): Build Beds & Prep for Fall

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What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (Aug 15–31): Build Beds & Prep for Fall · ATXGardens Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Hi listeners, I'm Colleen Dieker, landscape consultant and certified arborist at ATXGardens.com.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the ATX Gardens Podcast, where every other week I share simple, timely tips for what to do in your Central Texas garden right now.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you're watching on YouTube, tap like and subscribe for more gardening help.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Hey there, gardening friends.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm going to tell you what to do in your garden in the second half of August.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: This episode is sponsored by ATXGardens.com.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump in.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: In general, in the second half of August, the weather can kind of go either way.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it just stays extremely hot and dry and miserable.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the plants all wilt and have all of them start to look kind of sad.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: You might start to see an uptick in pests and diseases as the plants are wilting and struggling a little bit in the heat.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: That is normal and relatively okay.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: You can give some seaweed to your plants to help them through the really bad hot part of the summer.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: But sometimes at the end of August, we get a tropical storm or a hurricane nearby, or some sea breeze showers that come up from the Gulf of Mexico and help cool us down and give us a lot of rain.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then all the plants start growing again.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really exciting when that happens.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times toward the end of August, we can get some rain and it just freshens everyone up.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: So when I think of gardening in August and Austin, I think of weeding, mulching, and watering, of course.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: But this is also a transitional time for plants and for the garden and really for our lives.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: We start moving from the slower, more relaxed kind of summer days to harvest time.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: And everybody starts getting back to school, back to work, back to their routines.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm here to guide you through this change of the seasons right now in your garden.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And let's dive into what's happening in the landscape and garden in the second half of August.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: So for the woody plants, do not plant any woody plants now.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: That includes fruit trees, shade trees, understory trees, shrubs or woody vines or roses.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's still too hot for them.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Late August is your last chance for tree and shrub pruning to clear roofs, clear the street, um, clearing walkways, clearing driveways.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: That includes fruit trees and roses, too.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's your last chance in late August.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: I covered those topics more in depth in the last few episodes.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: So go back and listen to them if you missed that information about summer tree shrub and rose pruning.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Try to wrap up all of the tree shrub and rose pruning by the end of August.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good time to lift the canopies on all your trees if you want to be able to see underneath them or separate them from the plants around them.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: More specifically with your fruit trees, keep checking on your pears to see if they're ripe yet.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Some heirloom varieties of pears, like Lacant, will not ripen on the tree.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you have an old pear tree and you don't know what variety it is, and it seems like the pears stay hard as a rock for a really long time and they never ripen, it may be one of those old heirloom types that needs to ripen off of the tree.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: So try cutting some of the fruit off of the tree and bring it indoors for a few weeks.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let it sit out on your kitchen counter, put it in a bowl.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they look pretty in a bowl.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And then after a couple of weeks, you may see them start to soften up and also start to sweeten up.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I also just really love the satisfying crunch of a pear sliced really thin with some cheese at the end of the summer, too.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I discovered uh my husband brought home a knife.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's called the Chinese vegetable cleaver.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought he was nutso when he purchased this gigantic knife, but it's actually like the best thing ever.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: I love using the Chinese vegetable cleaver in my kitchen.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: I use it more than he does now.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: And it might be just the tool you need to cut through a really hard pear.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's also great for slicing up pumpkins, all the melons and winter squashes, too.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: So see a link in the show notes to Amazon.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so I get commissions from any purchases you make through my links for that Chinese vegetable cleaver because it's really awesome.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's great for slicing up really big hard stuff.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So don't discount those old pears that you have growing in your yard, or if you find one growing on the side of the road.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Harvest those pears and see if they'll ripen off the tree and enjoy them.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Slice them up with some cheese, and they're wonderful.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: August is a great time to make plans for your orchard's future.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Just make some notes about which trees did really well this year, which ones didn't make fruit, and which ones are ailing.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Consider if you have room to add more trees and start researching varieties that you'll be ready to order online as bare root trees this fall.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can order bare root fruit trees from online nurseries, and then the nurseries will ship them to you in the winter at the proper planting time when the trees are dormant.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, I'll touch on that in future episodes too.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now moving on to perennials and bulbs and our ornamental grasses, everybody like that in the landscape.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Still too hot to plant.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: If there's some rain in the forecast, you might be able to get some perennials in the ground right before it rains.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's a really good idea.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: But if there's no rain in the forecast, don't plant anything.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's just too hot.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: And now at the end of August, so from August 15th until the first week of September, really, it's too late to prune anything now.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the perennials won't have time to grow back and bloom again before the first freeze.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So if something's looking really, really bad, that's the exception, like wax mallows or datura.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, sometimes they start to look really bad at the end of the summer.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: You can go ahead and cut those back so that you don't have to look at them anymore.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: You can cut them all the way to the ground, but they might not grow back very well this fall, and they might not have enough time to bloom again before the first freeze comes in November or December.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: It just depends on when the freezes arrive.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we don't get a freeze till much later, but there's a possibility if you cut things down now, they won't bloom again.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: So try to avoid pruning anything unless you just have to clear a walkway or something like that.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And unless something just looks really bad and you can't stand looking at it anymore.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, if you have tropical milkweed, the experts at the Xerces Society recommend cutting it all the way down before Labor Day to prevent the spread of OE fungus to migrating monarch butterflies.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have a tropical milkweed, go ahead and cut it all the way down now to help prevent problems for the monarch butterflies that will be migrating through this fall.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: The tropical type is tall.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's orange and red, it's not very leafy, it has long skinny leaves, and it gets, when I say it's tall, it gets about 18 to 24 inches tall.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: When in doubt, look it up because it looks very different from other milkweed types.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of different types of milkweeds.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, usually the tropical one is the one that you find at the nursery most often.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: So go ahead and cut it down all the way now.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so some perennials are gonna start slowing down with blooming a little bit now.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the tropical perennials.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: So things like yellow bells, plumbagos, pride of Barbados, hibiscus, the sky flower dorantias, maybe your firebush, you might see them start to slow down and they're blooming a little bit, and you can deadhead them to keep the flowers coming just by removing the dead flowers.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're interested in saving seeds from those plants to propagate new plants or to share seeds with others, you can leave those seed heads on.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yellow bells and Pradobarbados and hibiscus in particular are very easy to save seed from and are really good, they're really good for beginning seed savers.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're interested in saving seeds, you can stop deadheading at this time of year and let those seeds mature on the plant.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: They'll make uh capsules or pods that look sort of like beans with the yellow bells and Pritobarbados.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: They the seed pods look a lot like beans, and the hibiscus looks sort of like a I don't know what it looks like, a little cup or something filled with seeds, and you just leave them on the plant until they dry out, and then you can open them up and you'll see that there's seeds in there.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then you can plant them to make more plants for yourself, or you can plant them to make more plants to give to your friends, or you can share those seeds at a seed swap, or take your seeds to the library.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Check out Centex seedsavers.org for a list of local libraries that have seed collections where you can take your seeds to share.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you ever feel unsure about how to do this type of pruning or seed saving or anything like that, you can always hire me for a consultation at atxgardens.com.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: And speaking of, now it's time for our mid-episode sponsor break.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Hi y'all, this is Colleen Dieter with atxgardens.com.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you need personalized help with your yard and landscape, book a consultation with me and we'll walk your yard together, answer your questions, and create a strategy that feels doable for you.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: I specialize in helping do-it-yourselfers by alleviating their anxieties about their yards.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if you love gardening and you love being outdoors, or you're new to gardening and you don't know what to do yet, I can come and give you advice about what to do and how to get started.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: This week I helped a customer in South Austin.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: She's lived in her house for about five years, and during all that time, she had two kids.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we all went through COVID, the snow apocalypse happened, the ice storms, and all of that took a toll on her and her yard.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: She told me that she hasn't really had the opportunity to bond with her home and her yard yet, because things have just been so busy and hard.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: She felt like her yard was like a big overgrown jungle.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And also the former homeowners had made some serious landscaping mistakes that need to be remedied.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: She felt really overwhelmed and didn't know where to start, even though she loves gardening and being outdoors.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I gave her some simple, actionable steps to simplify the yard.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: I told her which plants to keep and which ones to remove.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I gave her some guidance about how to make maintenance easier.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: So now she's ready to do it herself.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you feel overwhelmed by your yard, make an appointment today at atgsgardens.com.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's get back to the episode.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on with the vegetable and herb garden in the second half of August?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: Well, truth be told, not much.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's really hot time of year.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: We're kind of between seasons.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: So um the second half of August is a really good time to build a new vegetable garden if you want to add on more beds to your garden or more gardening space.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you're a new vegetable gardener and you want to get started, the end of August is an awesome time.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: My friend Cass, who's a podcast listener, asked me to cover some of the different techniques for building a new vegetable garden.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: And in the coming episodes, I'll cover a different method in each episode.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: So today I'm going to talk to you about double digging.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: The double digging method is best used in areas with at least 12 inches of existing soil.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: So that means if you can dig a hole that is at least 12 inches deep without hitting bedrock or pavement, then you can use the double digging method.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Most gardeners east of the Mopak Expressway in Austin have at least 12 inches of soil to dig in.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: And some west of Mopak do as well, but that's a little bit more rare.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: When you're getting ready to double dig a new garden bed, you're going to need a tarp, a garden wagon, wheelbarrow, or a big bucket or trash can.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, you need something that you can put a bunch of dirt in or on.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: There's a link in the show notes to a garden wagon.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: And also my favorite tool for double digging is called a digging fork.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like a pitchfork, but it has broader tines and a shorter handle.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's also a link to a digging fork in the show notes.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: Some people elect to use a broad fork for double digging, and that's also a really helpful tool.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's also available in the show notes.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: So take a look at those.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: And the forks are easier to use than shovels, especially if you have clay soil, which many of us in Central Texas do.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: So first, what you're gonna do for double digging is you're gonna dig a trench with your fork, and you're gonna put that soil onto your tarp or in your wagon or in your bucket or trash can.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, and you only have to dig the trench as deep as the length of the fork.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: Then use a digging fork to just loosen the soil in the bottom of the trench.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to just you don't need to dig it up completely.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to put the fork in the the bottom of the trench and wiggle it.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Then you dig another trench alongside the one you just dug, and you put the soil from that trench into the first trench.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then you just go along until you're finished, till you've dug up the whole area that you want to dig up.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then when you dig the final trench, use the soil from the tarp or wagon to fill in that last trench.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Then mix in some compost and fertilizer per your test results.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: Soil test is always wise.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, do a soil test before you start digging a garden, and then you know what to add to amend the soil to make it suitable for growing vegetables.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: When in doubt, it's generally a good idea to add compost.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you can mix some compost in.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: While you're digging the trenches, try to shake out any existing vegetation that you're digging up.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, do the best you can, just removing existing grass or weeds from that area.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then use a soil rake to make the area flat so that you have a level surface to plant into.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: Remember to use the rake tines down to move a soil, but you can flip the rake over and use it with the tines up to flatten and smooth out the soil.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's a really good idea to water the area that you're gonna dig in a day or two before you start digging so that the soil is more moist and a little bit softer to dig in.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: But it doesn't, it needs to be wet like a rung out sponge, but if it's too soggy, it'll be really hard to dig too.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't want to water it and then immediately start digging.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: So if you can plan to water the area a day or two before you plan on digging, it's really wise.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think Labor Day weekend is the best time to plant a garden in Austin.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: So getting a new garden ready in late August will get you all set for fall planting.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: Labor Day weekend is awesome.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: The fall garden is usually full of easy pleasure compared to other times of the year because the the plants mature and the harvest comes in as the weather cools off.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: And we usually get pretty good steady rain in the fall.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: So the fall garden is just a delight.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you more about that in the next episode.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: So at the end of August, if you're thinking about planting, now you can plant beans, cucumbers, potatoes, and summer squashes like zucchini and tattoo maize.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: In the next episode, I'll explain a little bit more about the change of the seasons and the transition to cool season crops.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's really getting too late for eggplants, peppers, tomato, okra, and southern peas.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: So if you already have the plants for some reason, get them in the ground now because it's possible that they will not mature in time before the first freeze.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: So try to get all of those in as soon as you can.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: Leave some open space in the garden for cool season crops that you'll be planting in September and October.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, I'll touch on that.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: In upcoming episodes.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: There's not a whole lot going on in the herb garden in August except weeding, mulching, and watering.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of the herbs will be dormant.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: You might not see them growing back yet, and that's really normal.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay, or they're just not growing much at all.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't yet this summer, add a little compost or a gentle granular fertilizer per your soil test results.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: Give them a little feeding, a little liquid seaweed is good for them.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: You could start the seeds from cool season herbs indoors now to transplant into the garden in October, like cilantro, dill, fennel, chamomile, calendula, borage, and parsley.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: You could still also plant basil either from seed or transplants now to get one last harvest before the first freezes arrive in November or December.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: The second half of August is a wonderful time to plant some cut flowers in your garden.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Sunflowers and zinnias are wonderful.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's also a good time for planting molen, uh, medicinal herb.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: So check that out.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: And all of those can be planted from seed.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, your wildflowers, keep collecting your wildflower seeds, purchase seeds to plant, get ready for planting time in September.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's very exciting.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so now for the activism portion of the podcast, I have an exciting announcement.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: My volunteer group, Central Texas Seed Savers.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: We have a fruit tree working group called the Fruit Savers.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we're announcing our Bio Blitz 2, the ripening.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: The Fruit Savers Project seeks to locate and identify hardy local fruit-producing specimens for the purpose of protecting, harvesting, and propagating these resilient trees for current and future generations.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: Specifically, we're looking for trees that are surviving and thriving with minimal human intervention.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that could be an ancient forgotten pear tree on the site of an old homestead, or maybe a feral peach growing on a fence line.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: Our first bio blitz of 2026 focused on identifying fruit trees by their eye-catching early spring blooms.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: Midsummer to early fall presents our next great opportunity to track down fruit-bearing trees as they become increasingly conspicuous as their fruit matures and ripens.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: A Bio Blitz is an event where everyday volunteers work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms as possible within a specific area.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: We are using iNaturalist for our fruit tree bioblitz.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we're asking you if you use iNaturalist or you're interested, for each iNaturalist observation, please include images of the tree's fruit, leaves, trunk, and a full profile photo of the whole tree, along with any other identifying features that you notice.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so for the summer bio blitz, we're looking for pear trees, persimmons, jujubies, all kinds of things.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: And you can find the complete list of species that we're looking for on our website at CentechSeedSavers.org.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: The Fruit Savers are a working group of Central Texas Seed Savers, which is a project of Fruitful Commons.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: Funding for this year's Bio Blitz comes from the City of Austin's urban forest grant.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: So again, visit CentechSeedsavers.org to learn more.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: iNaturalist is really fun, by the way.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: If even if you don't like computers that much, I was really resistant to using iNaturalist, but once I learned how to do it, I can't stop now.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's really fun.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: I really like it.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: So learn how to use iNaturalist and get involved with the fruit tree bio blitz.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: That wraps up today's episode.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: Check out the show notes for links to everything I mentioned.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with a fellow Central Texas gardener because it really helps me to grow my show.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Colleen with ATXGardens.com.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: See you next time.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the ATX Gardens podcast.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: For show notes, tools, and to book a consultation with me, visit atxgardens.com.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: Happy gardening.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: See you next time.