By William Ezell
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August has a way of sneaking up on you. One week you're firing up the grill for the 4th of July, and the next you're realizing summer is basically over and your yard has taken a beating from two months of Tennessee heat. The good news: there's still time to knock out a few things that will make a real difference, both for how your yard looks right now and how it comes back next spring.
Here's the list we'd hand every Nashville homeowner headed into late summer.
1. Refresh Your Mulch
Mulch breaks down over the summer — that's actually a good thing, because it means it's feeding your soil — but it also means the layer you put down in spring is probably looking thin by now. A fresh 2-3 inch top-up before August heat peaks keeps moisture in the soil, roots cooler, and beds looking sharp through the end of the season. Compost Mulch (Clyde's Pride) is our go-to recommendation for Middle Tennessee beds.
2. Deep Water Your Trees and Shrubs
Establish trees and shrubs often get ignored during summer watering routines, but they're quietly stressed by July and August heat even when they don't show it obviously. A slow, deep watering at the base every week or two through the end of summer helps them head into fall in good shape rather than already depleted.
3. Pull Spent Summer Plants Before They Go to Seed
If your zucchini has given up, your lettuce has bolted, or your spring annuals are looking rough, pull them now rather than waiting. Plants that go to seed drop volunteers everywhere and make spring cleanup harder. Add the pulled material to your compost pile or drop it at one of our compost drop-off sites — yard waste and garden trimmings are exactly what we take.
4. Topdress Your Lawn
Most Nashville lawns are running on fumes by late July. They're stressed by heat, compacted by foot traffic, and hungry for organic matter. A thin layer of Premium Screened Compost topdressed over your lawn improves the soil underneath without the disruption of aeration or overseeding, and sets you up for a stronger fall green-up. It's one of the most underrated things you can do for a Middle Tennessee lawn.
5. Plan Your Fall Garden
Cool-season crops — kale, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, carrots — need to go in the ground 6-8 weeks before first frost, which in Middle Tennessee means mid-to-late August for most things. If you want a fall garden, now is the time to figure out what you're planting and whether your beds are ready for it. Refreshing them with a few inches of compost before you plant gives fall crops a much better start.
6. Test Your Soil pH
Late summer is a good time to run a soil test before you start amending beds for fall crops. Most Middle Tennessee soil runs neutral to slightly alkaline thanks to our limestone bedrock, but individual beds — especially ones that have been heavily amended over several seasons — can drift in either direction. Knowing your pH tells you whether you're amending correctly or accidentally working against yourself. UT Extension offers soil testing through county offices for a small fee and gives you results you can actually act on.
7. Assess which Beds Need a Soil Refresh Before Fall Planting
Walk your beds and take stock before fall planting season sneaks up on you. Compost breaks down over the course of a growing season — which is exactly what it's supposed to do — but it means most beds are running lower on organic matter by late summer than they were in April. Beds that felt loose and rich in spring may be compacting again by now. A few inches of Premium Screened Compost worked in before fall crops go in makes a noticeable difference in how well they establish.
8. Feed Your Garden One Last Time Before The Season Ends
Synthetic fertilizers push fast growth that tender plants don't need heading into cooler weather, but a top-dress of finished compost gives your beds a slow, gentle nutrient boost that carries through fall without the risk of forcing late-season growth. It also continues improving soil structure underneath, so you're not just feeding this season's plants, you're building better soil for next spring at the same time.
9. Set Up a Compost Collection Habit Before Fall
Fall is the best composting season in Middle Tennessee — leaves, garden trimmings, and pulled annuals make for perfect brown material, and the cooler temperatures help piles break down steadily through winter. Getting a bin or a collection routine set up now means you're ready to capture all of it when it comes, rather than watching it go to the curb. Not ready for a backyard bin? Our drop-off sites are open and free to use.
10. Walk Your Yard and Actually Look At It
This one sounds obvious but most homeowners don't do it deliberately. Walk your property with fresh eyes — not to mow or water or weed, just to look. Note what's thriving, what's struggling, where drainage is pooling after rain, where the soil looks compacted, what you want to change before next spring. Ten minutes of observation now saves a lot of reactive scrambling in March.
Late summer isn't the end of the gardening season in Nashville — it's the bridge to fall, which is honestly one of the best times to be in a Middle Tennessee yard. Knock a few of these off the list and you'll feel it when spring rolls back around.
Need compost, mulch, or soil for any of these projects? Browse our products or use our compost calculator to figure out how much you need before you order.