Care guides › Melbourne › August
August in the Melbourne garden
Late winter in Melbourne. Cool temperate: frosty winters and warm, dry summers. Here is what needs doing this month, with the essentials first.
- What to plant 5
- What to harvest 14
- Feeding 5
- Pruning and deadheading 4
- Pests and diseases to watch for 1
- Frost and weather 1
- Tidying up 8
What to plant in August
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Lettuce
Sow or plant every few weeks for a steady supply
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Carrot
Sow seed direct every few weeks
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Spinach
Sow in cool weather; it bolts in heat
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Potato
Plant seed potatoes after the last frost
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Coriander
Sow in cooler months; it bolts in heat
What to harvest in August
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Pea
Pick pods as they fill
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Spinach
Pick outer leaves
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Kale
Pick lower leaves; frost sweetens them
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Broccoli
Cut the head while buds are tight; side shoots follow
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Cauliflower
Cut while the curd is firm and white
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Cabbage
Cut when the head feels firm
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Leek
Lift as needed through winter
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Orange Tree
Pick when sweet; taste one to check
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Lemon Tree
Pick lemons as they colour; they hold on the tree
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Mandarin
Pick as they colour
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Cumquat
Pick when fully orange
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Silverbeet
Pick outer leaves as needed
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Lemon Myrtle
Pick leaves as you need them; they dry well
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Coriander If you have time
Pick leaves young; let a few go to seed
Feeding
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Citrus
Citrus fertiliser, watered in (late winter and late summer)
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Fruit
Fruit-tree fertiliser as the buds swell
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Cool-season vegetables
Dig in compost before planting
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Peony
Scatter general fertiliser as the shoots appear
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Sasanqua Camellia
Azalea and camellia (acid) fertiliser after flowering
Pruning and deadheading
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Hydrangea
Cut stems that flowered back to a pair of fat buds
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Lemon Verbena
Prune hard in late winter while it is leafless
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Broad Bean If you have time
Pinch out the tips once pods set (deters aphids)
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Sasanqua Camellia If you have time
Shape or hedge after flowering
Pests and diseases to watch for
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Orange Tree, Mandarin and Cumquat If you have time
Citrus gall wasp: cut off swollen stems before spring
Frost and weather
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Tomato, Cucumber, Capsicum, Zucchini, Runner Bean, Sweetcorn, Eggplant, Bidens, Silver Falls, Lemon Tree, Basil, Bougainvillea and Passionfruit
Frost tender: cover on frosty nights, or move pots under shelter
Tidying up
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Fountain Grass, Pampas Grass and Dwarf Pampas
Cut back hard to 15-20 cm before new growth starts
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Lomandra and Lomandra Tanika If you have time
Comb out dead leaves, or cut back by half if tired
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Dianella If you have time
Comb out dead leaves
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Poa Tussock If you have time
Comb out dead blades, or cut back by half if tired
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Agapanthus If you have time
Pull off dead outer leaves
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Liriope If you have time
Cut old leaves back before new growth
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Tree Fern If you have time
Cut off dead fronds
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Knobby Club-rush If you have time
Thin out old dead stems
Not listed: Lime Tree, Sturt's Desert Pea, Cooktown Orchid, Illawarra Flame Tree and Tuckeroo, which don't suit Melbourne's climate.