Garden blog for September 2012
August has
proved, once more, to live up to a well deserved reputation for heat, heat and
more heat. With some stead fast work it
is hoped that your plants were spared from getting fried and you have enjoyed a
bountiful harvest. Those vegetables that
our gardeners are reporting to have had especially large harvests of include:
cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and corn.
But enough about last month, let’s get ready for September.
September is
our busiest month of the year! First we
are harvesting those abundant crops and keeping our plants vibrant by watching
for pests and clipping out dead or spent plant sections. Remove those plants that are not thriving and
either replant or make space for a new crop.
Go ahead…don’t be scared.
Second, it
is time to begin our plans for Fall. It
really is just around the corner. But we
have a few surprises in store like Santa Ana winds with their hot and extreme drying
effects. So adjusting watering patterns
would be a great start. For some, that
means changing sprayers to a drip system as the winds will assure that every
drop of water ends up several feet away from the intended target. Also, it may be best to change watering times
to dawn or dusk to allow the water to soak in before the wind and heat
evaporate all the moisture.
Third, write
down plans for winter and spring blooming flowers to plant. A few nice choices are snapdragon, cineraria, stock and alyssum for seeds. For plant starts, it is a good time to find calendula, candytuft, Iceland poppies and most any daisy variety.
This is also the month to select all of the bulbs that you will plant later
and see in the spring. A little bit more
about bulbs in a few weeks. October, our
best planting month, is still ahead but these early plans will make certain
that your favorite varieties are not sold out and that they arrive in time.