For the gardeners out there, August means crops are really producing,
and your kitchen is overflowing with fresh tomatoes, zucchini,
cucumbers and so much more! The payoff of all your hard work from
when you planted your garden several months ago. I am thinking right
now about a fresh tomato sandwich, on white bread, loaded down with
mayonnaise and salt/pepper! Love this fresh taste of summer!

In addition, here are some helpful gardening tips for August:

 Plan for heat waves and high humidity, and get your work done on the
day’s most pleasant for working outdoors, or early morning.
 You still need to water your garden/flowers in August.
 Be on high alert for insect pests. These include thrips, tomato fruit worms,
tomato hornworms, spider mites, chinch bugs, scale, snails and slugs.
 The heat and humidity of this time of year brings with them plant diseases.
Check your plants for any diseased foliage and remove it. Dispose of it
properly; do not put it in your compost pile where it can continue to spread
disease to plants via the compost. Disinfect your garden tools too, such as
pruners, between each plant to avoid spreading disease.
 Keep up with your harvesting, as many plants will be producing
now. Failure to harvest can slow down production.

It’s also back to school time, for teachers, staff and students. It’s time
to head to the stores to purchase your children’s new clothes and
shoes, along with school supplies, backpacks and more. For some, it’s
an exciting time. For others, it’s a sad time, knowing that your long-
anticipated summer is now dwindling down.

 I think that August should be a month used as a reflection on how your
summer went. Thinking to yourself about what lessons this summer
has taught you. On what goals you would like to accomplish for this
month and possibly leading into goals for the remaining of this year.

August is also one of the months you start to realize that the year will
soon end. The wake-up call making you realize you have four more
months left in the year, and you need to make these last four months
meaningful.

A simple goal for this month, along with all future months, can be to
drink more water. Water is very beneficial for our body to keep us
hydrated. We are supposed to drink at least half a gallon of water per
day. How much water do you drink daily?

To become more organized is a good goal to have especially in the
month of August leading up to school. Organization is a beneficial skill
to have and apply to yourself. Staying organized creates fewer
headaches for yourself. Have a place/spot for everything so nothing
can be misplaced. Have an organized list of all the smallest tasks so
you won’t forget them. Let’s face it, we do tend to forget if it’s not
written down.

In addition, taking better care of yourself and having a day designated
just for self-care is vital. It’s hard, but it’s important to do for your
mental/physical mindset. In the summer, most people work more jobs
than they do in the rest of the year (grass cutting, garden harvesting,
vacations, swimming and so much more). Why not just use this month
to pay closer attention to YOU. Pick a certain day in the week as a
self-care day. Self-care can be treating yourself to getting your nails
and hair done, or a day dedicated to reading and not going on social
media.

And lastly, it’s also time to think about your propane tank. Call our
Propane experts at the Marshall County Co-op and let’s talk about
refilling your tank or possibly setting you up on one of our Propane
programs.

All in all, it’s been a pretty good summer! Enjoy it!