Support local journalism: Find offers for new subscribers here: Special Offers — FLORIDA TODAY.

Want to read our e-Edition? Here are some tips for getting the best experience. 

With the hot temperatures hanging around through August, it is still a good idea to divide your projects and work outside in the early morning and evening hours.  

If you want to grow some vegetables this fall, now is the time to start preparing for it.

Here are some ideas of things to do in the yard and garden this month. 

Cut back spent vegetables. Remove all spent vegetable plants by cutting them off at ground level. This will protect the soil from disturbance and leave the root system in the ground for the soil microbes to feed on.

If needed, add some worm castings over the entire garden area to enrich and cover the soil. When planting, inoculate the hole with some earthworm castings and a granular mycorrhizal mixture. For bean and pea plants, inoculate them with the correct nitrogen-fixing bacteria.  

Vegetables to plant. Vegetables that can be planted this month include beans, carrots, eggplant, endive/escarole,; okra, bunching onions (green and shallots), peppers, Southern peas,; squash and tomatoes.

More:Sally Scalera: Start planning now to plant fall vegetables in August and September

More:Sally Scalera: These flowering trees can provide shade and color to your Brevard landscape

More:Sally Scalera: Water your Brevard yard correctly so plants get enough, but not too much

Vegetables to sow. The vegetable seeds that can be sown now, for planting in September, are arugula, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers (after September, the next month for planting cucumbers is January), eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, lettuce, mustard, peppers, spinach, squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes and turnips.

Spray lawn and plants with liquid seaweed. To help the lawn tolerate the weather extremes of flood and drought, spray it weekly (or as often as possible) with liquid seaweed. Seaweed supplies trace elements and growth hormones which research has shown help plants handle environmental stresses.  

For the lawn, apply the liquid seaweed using a hose-end sprayer.  For edible (and ornamental plants experiencing insect pest and/or disease problems), a hand pump-up sprayer works well to apply a fine mist to both sides of the foliage. To help the lawn and the entire yard, inoculate the lawn with beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae. As the soil microbial populations grow, they will find the roots of the other plants growing throughout the landscape. For more information, email me at sasc@ufl.edu.

Don't mow too short. A common practice that can be harmful to both St. Augustine and Bahia is to mow the grass too short. The recommended height to mow both is 3 to 4 inches. That does not mean mowing the grass when it is 3 to 4 inches tall, but to have the grass blades measure 3 to 4 inches tall after mowing. Taller blades are much better for the turf, as there is more foliage to carry on photosynthesis.

Consider a hedge. If you are thinking of adding a hedge to your yard, consider planting one of our keystone species, which will support migratory birds. Hedges that are 3 to 8 feet tall provide cover and nesting locations, and they can be pruned by hand (once a year) if you prefer a more natural look than a formal look (pruned two to three times a year).  

Here are some native keystone shrubs to consider for creating a new hedge: highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum; Walter’s viburnum, Viburnum obovatum; and false willow, Baccharis halimifolia. False indigo, Amorpha fruticosa, is a legume that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, eliminating the need for nitrogen fertilizer to be applied, and the foliage can be cut and used as a mulch around other plants to provide them with nitrogen.

Support native bees. In addition to supporting migratory birds, it would also be great to support our native solitary bees, needed to ensure our native flowering plants continue producing seeds. Choose a variety of flowers so nectar and pollen will be available throughout the year and plant them together (in clumps or drifts.)

Leave the soil bare throughout the center so the ground-dwelling bees can dig their burrows and raise their young.  Place mulch around the outer edge of the plant bed to help suppress weeds and give the area a neat appearance.

The best flowers to plant include goldenrod, solidago (five native species), sunflower, Helianthus (three native species), false goldenaster (Heterotheca subaxillaris), goldenaster (Chryopsis, six native species)., tickseed, coreopsis (two native species), silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia), coneflower (Rudbeckia hirta) and old field aster (Symphyotrichum, three native species.)

Flowers to plant in sunny areas. For ideas of flowers to plant in a sunny spot, consider coleus, impatiens, marigolds, celosia, melampodium, gazania, gallardia, cosmos, purslane, sunflower and salvia, just to name a few.

Herbs to plant. Some herbs that can be planted this month include chives, dill, fennel, mints, oregano, parsley, Mexican tarragon and rosemary.

Bulbs for sunny areas. Bulbs, for sunny areas, that can be planted now include African iris (Morea spp.), Aztec lily (Sprekelia formosissima), snowflake (Leucojum spp.), spider lily (Hymenocallis sp.) and watsonia.

Bulbs for shady areas. Bulbs for partially shady areas include our native rain lily (Zephyranthes spp.), amaryllis, white butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium), calla (Zantedeschia spp.), narcissus and shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet). 

Colorful plants for shady spots. For ideas of colorful plants for a shady spot, consider impatiens, crossandra, coleus, angelwing begonias and caladiums.

Farmers market finds. Check out some of the fresh produce and delicious edibles that will be available at our Brevard County Farmers Market in August, including fresh herbs, microgreens, shoots, wheatgrass and microgreen growing kits.  

Vegetables that will be available are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and potatoes. In addition, there will be honey, mushrooms, seasoning blends, beef jerky, fresh salsas, candied jalapenos, sweet relish, cupcakes and other sweets, homemade jams, apple butter and jellies, and a variety of homemade nut butter.  

For pasta lovers, there will be freshly made pasta, sauces, cheese, and other delicious Italian items available.  On the second Thursday of every month, Deep Roots Meat comes with their Florida-grown, grass-fed Angus beef straight from their farm.

The Brevard County Farmers Market is 3-6 p.m. Thursdays in the Wickham Park Pavilion. To stay up to date with the most current information, follow the Brevard County Farmers Market Facebook page at \facebook.com/brevardcountyfarmersmarket.

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email sasc@ufl.edu.

Support local journalism: Find offers for new subscribers here: Special Offers — USATodayNetwork.