Taking care of plants and successfully growing them, even without having a green thumb, is possible. To do this, you just need to know the needs of each plant, and especially when it is appropriate to plant them. That said, if you want to start gardening during the month of August, here is a non-exhaustive list of easy-care vegetable and flowering plants, which you can grow in pots and keep in your balcony for your viewing pleasure.
To occupy the long summer days and if you like gardening, here is a selection of 4 plants that you can grow in pots and keep in your balcony.
What can you plant during the month of August?
The month of August is ideal for sowing winter or late vegetables such as radishes and broccoli, but also certain flowers such as pansies or cyclamen.
- Sow broccoli in August
Broccoli is an annual or biennial vegetable plant with evergreen foliage. This vegetable is rich in vitamins, fiber and minerals. It remains easier to maintain compared to other cabbages. It appreciates fresh, humus-rich soil, that is to say rich in humus. Broccoli also needs slightly clayey, draining and fertile soil. This vegetable plant appreciates the sun, but cannot tolerate drought or high heat. Hence the importance of installing it in partial shade, if you live in a hot region.
For growing in pots, choose peat pots that you will keep in a sunny room and in which you dig a hole 2 cm deep. Then plant a few seeds there, then cover them with soil. Lightly tap the soil with your fingers to settle the soil. Then, using a spray bottle, moisten the soil but not excessively, because broccoli appreciates good drainage. When the young shoots appear, wait until they reach 15 cm high, before transplanting them into the ground.
Note that these are the spring varieties that can be sown in late summer or early fall.
- Plant cyclamen in August
It is a perennial flowering plant with different colors which are very useful for decorating the balcony or terrace. Planted in July or August, cyclamen can be grown in the ground or in pots.
For growing in a pot, choose florist cyclamen. This hybrid variety does not like being exposed to direct sunlight and prefers a temperature between 12 and 15°C. During flowering, water your cyclamen, but not excessively, as it could wither. Also be sure to remove faded flowers and fertilize your plant with a soluble fertilizer for flowering plants, to be incorporated into the watering water.
Note that a very humid environment can encourage the development of certain diseases such as powdery mildew or gray rot. Cyclamen also fears aphids and thrips.
- Sow radishes in August
Radish is an easy-to-maintain root vegetable. It can be grown in the ground, in the vegetable garden, or in a pot, placed on the balcony or terrace. To grow around 20 radishes, you will need a pot of at least 20 cm in diameter. The substrate used must be light and draining. To do this, place a layer of clay balls or gravel at the bottom of the pot, to promote drainage, and fill the pot with vegetable soil and sand mixed in equal parts. Then sow the seeds in the pot, spacing them 1 or 2 cm apart. Then cover the seeds with 1 cm of potting soil, then water after packing the soil. During the germination period, it is important to keep the substrate moist, but not soggy.
The radish appreciates the sun, but it fears high heat, hence the importance of always keeping the soil cool and moist, and of not placing the radish in full sun during periods of heatwave.
- Plant pansy in August
Also called garden violet, the pansy is a flowering plant which has the particularity of being decorative. It can be planted in August, and lends itself well to growing in pots . To do this, simply place a layer of clay balls at the bottom of the pot to promote drainage. The pansy also appreciates a drained, but also rich, soil. After planting, the pansy does not require much water. On the other hand, remember to water it regularly in summer, during high heat. To encourage the flowering of your plant, avoid excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers which stimulate the development of foliage to the detriment of flowers.
The pansy may be subject to attack by slugs or aphids. In the event of an infestation, spray your plants with black soap, and alternate with nettle manure which is a natural insecticide.
