August in the Desert Garden

August is late summer — still hot and humid, but the light is changing and it’s time to start the fall vegetable garden and prep beds for the best planting season ahead.

What To Do in August

Grass

• Keep mowing Bermuda weekly, and begin planning your fall overseed for October.
• Continue morning watering and watch for fungus in humid spells.

Trees & Shrubs

• Keep planting palms and desert-adapted stock while the soil is warm.
• Give citrus its third and final feeding around Labor Day.
• Continue post-storm inspections and cleanup through the end of the monsoon.

Flowers

• Late in August, start seeds for fall and winter color indoors or in shade.
• Keep heat-tolerant annuals watered and deadheaded.

Vegetables

• Start fall crops from seed in a protected spot — tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers to transplant in September.
• Late in the month, direct-sow bush beans, corn, and squash for a fall harvest as it eases.
• Amend and mulch beds now so they’re ready for the September planting rush.

Don’t Make These Garden Mistakes in August

1. Don’t wait until fall to prep beds — soil amended in August is ready the moment the prime planting window opens.
2. Don’t skip the Labor Day citrus feeding; it sets up the winter crop.
3. Don’t overwater in humid weather; let the top inch of soil dry between waterings.
4. Don’t plant cool-season crops too early while it’s still 105 — start seeds shaded and transplant as it cools.
5. Don’t neglect monsoon cleanup; standing debris harbors pests and disease into fall.