Tag: Garden Club
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President’s Garden
Here are some before and after pictures of our gardens on the Common. Mulching and some planting will be done in the Spring, and the shrub bed is now back to the Town (after we had it cleaned up). In the Spring we will be looking for donations of white flowering plants.
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Plant seeds that need winter chilling
Plant seeds that need winter chilling like bachelor buttons and milkweed now. Would you like more butterflies? Plant swamp milkweed now. That dismal name disguises a plant with a lovely pink flower with a wonderful scent. And, later in the season, swamp plant will be visited by many butterflies, including our endangered Monarchs for which the milkweed is required to produce the next generation.
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Keep mowing
Keep mowing, with the mower set to two inches for as long as your grass keeps growing. Mow leaves into the lawn. Mowing saves you the task of raking and, by chopping leaves into small pieces, they will break down over the winter. It’s a virtuous cycle – putting vital nutrients back into the soil, for the grass and surrounding trees for the coming season.
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In the vegetable garden
In the vegetable garden. Some vegetables will survive light to moderate frosts. Spinach can tolerate a light frost. Members of the cabbage family such as kale and Brussels sprouts taste sweeter after expose to frost. Root crops including parsnips, salsify and even carrots and turnips can be left in the ground for later harvests, especially if protected by a light covering of straw or chopped leaves.
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Containers
Containers designed for summer need to be taken apart, cleaned and stored for the winter. The exceptions are containers that can withstand freezing weather – usually metal, wood and certain plastic and foam containers. Once cleaned, winter-hardy containers can be replanted for fall and winter color with small evergreens, ornamental kale, colorful grasses and perennials such as Heuchera. Remember to water planted containers into the winter because the soil in the pot will dry out on sunny days.
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Last call for houseplants
Last call for houseplants. It has been cold outside and your houseplants are not happy. Clean them up, repot (if they have outgrown their old container over the summer) and check for any uninvited occupants. It is also a good time to prune them back into shape if they have been growing too vigorously, or to divide them to share with friends. They may be unhappy as they adjust to the lower light and dryer conditions of your home. While they need water, be careful not to overwater them. Hold off fertilizing them for now.
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Cleanup time
Cleanup time. Vegetables and flower beds need a thorough clean-up this month. Remove all old foliage. Bag any diseased or insect-infested material and send it to the dump. Taking these actions now allows your plants to get a fresh start next spring, without the risk of infection from this year’s problems. ‘Clean’ foliage should go into your compost bin or to your town’s compost center.
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Finish harvesting the vegetable garden
Finish harvesting the vegetable garden. Our wet September was accompanied by warmer nighttime temperatures and an extended gardening season; but don’t get caught by the inevitable frost. Complete your harvest of your tender vegetables now. Basil, for example, will turn black when temperatures drop to 32 degrees even for a brief period, and tomatoes become unusable once the liquid in them freezes. Once you’ve harvested your frost-sensitive vegetables, turn your attention to harvesting, cleaning and storing your remining fresh produce.
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Cleaning up the perennial bed
Cleaning up the perennial bed doesn’t mean cutting to the ground. The traditional advice for cleaning up your perennial garden in October was to cut everything to the ground. Science – and common sense based on observation – says that practice took away a valuable food source for both migrating and over-wintering birds. Instead, leave up the flower stalks with seed heads for birds. Migrating birds appreciate the food. And it is vital for those species that over-winter in New England. In addition to less work for you, the birds make your garden a more interesting place throughout the winter. The ‘no-cut’ policy isn’t universal, though. Always vigorously clean up any plant that has battled disease this year. Again, you’ll save yourself work and enjoy your garden more in the spring.
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Deer deterrent
Deer deterrent. In my yard the deer have decided they prefer certain garden plants to what they can find in the woods and fields. I spray monthly with a garlic and putrefied-egg-based deer repellent that discourages them from further dining.
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In the ornamental garden
In the ornamental garden. Watch for insect and disease on annuals and perennials. Check on line for recommendations but also check with a good local nursery for recommendations, especially if this is a new problem for you. It’s in their interest to make a regular customer of you by helping you solve your gardening problems. Treat problems as soon as they appear and before they can spread.
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Houseplants
Houseplants. As you bring houseplants that spent the summer outdoors, it is a good time to consider repotting. Your plant almost certainly grew over the summer. And the roots almost certainly grew as much as the pot allowed. Getting a clean pot with fresh soil allows the plant to settle in for the winter without the salts that may have accumulated. Don’t be afraid to prune back any part of the plant that took advantage of the extra sunlight to stretch out—and now no longer fits its allotted space in the house.
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Strawberry Plants
Strawberry plants will have sent out many runners (baby plants on a leash) by now. There are two ways to turn them into bearing plants next year. One, fill small pots with quality soil and put them down near the mother plant. Lift any plantlets, and using unbent paperclips, hold them in place in the pot. After the new plant has developed roots (try a gentle tug), cut its connection to its mother. Plant them in their new home by the end of the month to give them time root itself before winter.
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Spring bulbs
Spring bulbs. Any remaining foliage should be cut off and removed now. If you had areas that did not bloom well in the spring, the problem could be that the bulbs have divided and are now too crowded. Or if you weren’t happy with an area of your yard this year, dig the bulbs up carefully now, dry them in a garage or garden shed and replant them in the fall. If you’re thinking of adding bulbs for next spring, this is the month to order those new bulbs for fall planting. The selection only narrows as summer turn to fall.
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Garden maintenance
Garden maintenance. Cut back perennials that have finished blooming. They’ll look neater and many will surprise you with a second bloom when prevented from setting seed the first time. Keep picking your vegetable gardens. By picking, you are preventing your plants from going to seed so they keep producing produce. If you have more vegetables than you can use, offer it to friends or call a local food cupboard and ask for their drop-off days. Replant this month for a more bountiful fall crop: green beans, peas, cucumbers, carrots, kohlrabi, summer squash, early sweet corn, green onions. Water seeded areas by hand daily until the new plants are up and a couple of inches tall. Cover the newly planted seeds with row cover to help keep them cooler and out of pecking range of birds. You can take the row covers off when the plants are several inches tall.
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Container gardens
Container gardens, Despite July’s generous rains, watering may be needed in containers where limited room and exposure to heat and sun from all sides mean they dry out quickly. Check containers by wiggling your finger down in until you reach the second knuckle looking for wet soil. If it is dry, water until it comes out of the bottom of the container. And never leave pots sitting in water-filled saucers as this can lead to root rot.
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July’s bountiful rains
July’s bountiful rains were a gift for gardeners. Unfortunately, they were also a blessing for the grubs in your lawn. When the soil dries out and stays dried out for lengthy periods (as happened last year) grubs often die from lack of moisture. This year grubs are likely to be back. But before you begin treating your lawn with one of the chemicals sold for that purpose, be aware of what you are doing. Products that actually kill grubs are dangerous to you, your family, pets and every other living thing that walks across your lawn. Lawns can be reseeded and fertilized in the fall repairing any damage without danger to anyone.
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Be patient
Whether it is blueberries turning blue or tomatoes turning red. The first sign of color is just that. Real flavor will develop over the next few days so as the berry and tomato increase in size and sugar content. With tomatoes, do not remove healthy foliage. Fewer leaves mean less food produced for the plant—and for you
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Remove spent flowers
While there are a few varieties out there that promise endless flowers without the trouble of deadheading, most plants require you to dead-head them for a for a reliably long bloom period. Picking off flowers that have passed their peak prevents seed heads from forming and stops the plant from receiving a signal that its work is over. Snap off large flowers with your fingernail. For small blossoms, or hanging plants gone straggly, shear them back by half. Wait a week, and cut off anything not producing flower buds. You’ll be rewarded with a new crop of flowers and tidier plants, especially if you follow up with a light feeding.
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Leave the lawn long
If you haven’t already, move the blade on your mower up to 3”. The higher grass will shade its own roots, making them less water thirsty while also shading out new weeds. Consider replacing the grass in hard-to-grow areas (shady areas for one) with perennials or shrubs that are happier in shade and require less maintenance while providing flowers and interest throughout the year.
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Leave the lawn alone
Your grass wants to go dormant in the heat of summer; don’t fight Mother Nature. Trying to keep it lush and green by excessive watering or fertilizing serves only to create a cycle of chemical (and water) dependency that is both expensive and, ultimately, not all that successful.
