As we are reaping the fruits and vegetables of our spring and summer gardens, it is time to plan and sow the fall garden. Fall vegetables are sweeter due to the cooler nights and last longer even after vegetables have matured. Spinach often holds its quality into early spring.
Fall garden preparation is simple. Remove the spring and summer plants that have acquired a bitter taste due to age. Order those that have short germination and will mature before the first frost which is Oct. 10-15 for this area, but that varies. Seed catalogs and packets list that information. Most vegetables can safely be between Aug. 1 and Sept. 1. Fast growers lettuce and radish can be planted until mid-September.
The following are quick maturing:
Beets: 5-8 days to germinate and 2-3 months until harvest. More color is retained fall planted.
Carrots: 1-3 weeks germination, thin to 2-3 inches, succession plant 1-3 weeks, and avoid green shoulders by keeping them covered.
Garlic: Cloves germinate in 1-2 months, plant after the first frost, mulch well and leave on through winter. Once growth begins in spring, keep well-watered.
Onions: 4-10 days to germinate, start seed indoors Sept. 1. Bulbs are planted tip slightly above ground.
Salad greens: Short maturity, successive planting August into September.
Spinch: Direct sow and will germinate 1-2 weeks, harvest outer leaves when 2-3 inches or entire plant and let it regrow before harvesting again.
If plants have not matured by the first frost, cover with shade cloth.
THINGS TO DO
• Garden — Fertilize intersectional peonies after they cease blooming. Remove weeds in containers as they are watered. Dig iris, discard old rhizomes, and replant. Daily remove spent Hemerocallis (daylilies) flowers. Order spring and fall bulbs fall crocus and colchicum for the best selection and quality. Plant lilies as soon as they arrive and others starting in late September. For early spring annuals next year, open seed pods to let seed naturally scatter. Hybridized F1 annuals will not come true to this year’s plant.
Japanese beetles are attacking hybrid-tea (Knock-out roses) and tea roses as well as other thin-cuticle flower foliage. Knock them into a container of soapy water early morning when they are not active.
• Lawn — Have the mower blade sharpened. Spot treat weeds in the lawn, particularly if planning on renovating it in the fall. Apply a grass killer to bermudagrass, and in bluegrass kill tall fescue clumps.
• Trees and shrubs — Crape myrtles are heavy feeders. Apply a high phosphorous number and trace elements such as Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster this month and keep well-watered. Leave suckers on crapes that you what to grow in a shrub form. Remove suckers and water sprouts from other trees. Cease pruning azaleas after this week to avoid removing next year’s flowers.
• Vegetables — For the best flavor of basil, oregano, sage and thyme cut early morning when dew has dried. Harvest coriander, dill and fennel seed. Trim leggy rosemary. For tender and tastiest vegetables, pick just before reaching maturity. Last sowing of basil is this week.
Water tomatoes 2-3 times a week until they begin producing fruit, then only enough to keep from wilting. To increase tomato size, once it has produced 4-6 branches prune additional branches to increase air circulation and sunlight.
Contact Carolyn Roof, the Sun’s gardening columnist, at carolynroof02@gmail.com.
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