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August in West Virginia

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August in West Virginia

layout: base.njk title: "August - WV Homesteading Calendar" description: "Homesteading tasks for August in West Virginia" category: seasonal-calendar month: 8

Theme: Peak
Weather: Hot and humid, avg highs 85-87°F, lows 64-66°F
Daylight: 14h 30m → 13h 25m (shortening by 65 minutes!)
Frost Risk: Zero

🌿 Phenology Signs

  • Early August: Goldenrod (full bloom begins), bee balm continues
  • Mid-August: Asters begin, sunflowers peak, zinnias, cosmos, dahlias
  • Late August: Joe Pye weed, ironweed, boneset, turtlehead
  • Vegetables: Tomato, pepper, eggplant flowers continue
  • Herbs: Many flowering (attract pollinators before fall)
  • Hummingbirds begin southward migration (late August)
  • Early warbler migration starts
  • Swallows gathering in flocks
  • Bears gorging on berries and nuts (hyperphagia begins)
  • Deer preparing for fall
  • Groundhogs breeding second litter
  • Goldenrod and asters support massive pollinator activity
  • Monarchs begin fall migration (late August)
  • Cloudless sulphurs abundant, painted ladies migrating
  • Cricket and katydid choruses peak
  • Frogs calling, bats very active

✅ Task Checklist

Garden

  • [ ] PROCESS TOMATOES: Peak harvest, canning season in full swing
  • [ ] Harvest and process peppers, eggplant daily
  • [ ] Pick corn when silks turn brown and kernels milk
  • [ ] Harvest potatoes (main crop), cure for storage
  • [ ] Dig onions, fully cure before storing
  • [ ] Continue harvesting beans, cucumbers, squash
  • [ ] Transplant fall brassicas: Broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi
  • [ ] Mid-late August: Sow fall greens (spinach, lettuce, arugula, Asian greens)
  • [ ] Early August: Bush beans (last succession, may not mature before frost)
  • [ ] Turnips and rutabaga (for fall/winter storage)
  • [ ] Cover crops: Winter rye, hairy vetch (for beds being retired)
  • [ ] Begin clearing finished crops, add to compost
  • [ ] Save seeds from open-pollinated varieties (tomatoes, beans, lettuce)
  • [ ] Order fall cover crop seed
  • [ ] Deadhead flowers to extend season

Orchard

  • [ ] Harvest early apple varieties
  • [ ] Monitor for apple pests (codling moth, apple maggot)
  • [ ] Water deeply during dry periods
  • [ ] Begin harvesting grapes (early varieties)

Animals

  • [ ] Provide extra water during heat
  • [ ] Monitor for parasites (peak season)
  • [ ] Prepare for fall breeding season
  • [ ] Check fencing before rut season

Preservation

  • [ ] Canning tomatoes at peak abundance
  • [ ] Pickling cucumbers, making relish
  • [ ] Freezing peppers, eggplant
  • [ ] Drying herbs, flowers
  • [ ] Making sauces, salsas, soups
  • [ ] Check stored garlic and onions for sprouting/rot
  • [ ] Clean and organize canning supplies

🌱 What to Plant

Direct Seed: - Early August: Bush beans (last succession, may not mature before frost) - Spinach and lettuce (in shaded area, fall harvest) - Radishes (fall crop, quick turnaround) - Turnips and rutabaga (for fall/winter storage) - Cover crops: Winter rye, hairy vetch (for beds being retired)

Transplant: - Mid-late August: Broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi (fall crops) - Brussels sprouts (if started earlier) - Lettuce and Asian greens (under row cover or shade) - Cauliflower (needs consistent moisture)

Start Indoors: - None needed (direct sow or transplant outdoors)

🐛 Watch For

  • Peak tomato harvest - process daily, don't let them overwhelm you
  • Monarch migration begins - late August, look for concentrated southward movement
  • Goldenrod full bloom - fall crops maturing, frost ~60 days away
  • Katydids and crickets loud - warm nights, summer peak
  • Japanese beetles - still active, continue management
  • Squash vine borers - check bases of squash plants
  • Tomato blight - common in humid weather, remove affected leaves
  • Persimmons forming fruit - fall approaching

📅 Key Timing

  • Goldenrod full bloom: Fall crops maturing, ~60 days to first frost
  • Peak tomato harvest: Preserve now, abundance everywhere
  • Monarch migration begins: Late summer, seasonal transition
  • Corn harvest: When silks turn brown and kernels milk
  • Potato harvest: Main crop, cure 10-14 days before storage
  • Onion harvest: When tops fall over, cure thoroughly
  • Katydids/crickets peak: Warm nights, summer at peak
  • Days shortening rapidly: 65 minutes of daylight lost this month
  • Hen of the woods begins: Late August, 60 days to first frost

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