Kalendarium Hortense - August

The Kalendarium Hortense was published by John Evelyn in 1683. It contains instructions for what a gardener should do throughout the year. The excerpt below is the list of what is to be done in the "Orchard and Olitory¹ Garden" for the month of August.

Inoculate² now early, if before you began not, and gather your Bud of that year. Let this work be done before you remove the Stocks.

Prune off yet also superfluous branches and shoots of this second Spring; but be careful not to expose the fruit without leaves sufficient to skreen it from the Sun; furnishing and nailing up what you will spare to cover the defects of your Walls. Continue yet to cleanse your Vines from exuberant branches that too much hinder the Sun.

Pull up the Suckers.

Clip Roses now done bearing.

Sow Radish, especially the Black, to prevent running up to seed, pale tender Cabbages, Caully-flowers for Winter Plants, Corn-sallet, Marigolds, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsneps, Turneps, Spinage, Onions; also curl'd Endive, Angelica, Scurvy-grass^{3, &c.}

Likewise now pull up ripe Onions and Garlic, &c.

Towards the end sow Purslan, Chard-beet, Chervil, &c.

Transplant such Lettuce as you will have abide all Winter.

Gather your Olitory seeds, and clip, and cut all such Herbs and Plants within one handful of the ground before the Full. Lastly,

Unbind and release the Buds you inoculated, if taken, &c. likewise stop, and prune them.

Now vindemiate⁴, and take your Bees towards the expiration of this Month; unless you see cause (by reason of the weather or season) to defer it till mid-September: Byt if your Stocks be very light and weak, begin the earlier.

Make your Summer Perry and Cider.

¹ - olitory: Of or pertaining to, or produced in, a kitchen garden.

² - inoculate: insert a bud for propagation, cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering.

³ - Cochlearia species; a.k.a. Scurvy grass, Scurvygrass, or Spoonwort

⁴ - To gather the vintage. [Obs.]