September means gardens are now heading into the season finale with harvests of tomatoes, beans, squash, cukes, onions, potatoes, and peppers leading the way! Wet weather has been hard on some veggies and flowers this summer but there are some special techniques to keep plants healthy despite the saturated soils. This is a good time of year to apply foliar compost tea and your own homemade biofertilizers. It’s also a good time to get a soil test so you know…
After the welcome rains of July, gardens are in full maturity and producing an abundance of veggies, herbs, flowers, and weeds. Soon we’ll harvest potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, and more. It’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. Proper harvesting is key to successful production, and the more you pick the more you get! Leaving blossoms or fruits on plants to get over-ripe or go to seed tells the plant its job is…
This is the time of peak flowers and rapidly growing veggies along with weeds and bugs. It’s the best of gardening and time to enjoy all our work coming into fruition. We also have work to do. Regular weeding, watching for inevitable pests (bugs & critters) but also early harvests have begun, and succession plantings can start. Weeds are simply taking advantage of our good preparations and space. They are not really “bad” plants but are just unwanted volunteers in…
Autumn has officially begun and frost isn’t far away. Gardens are already showing signs of leaf loss on squash, cukes, peppers, tomatoes, and basil. These are among the most susceptible plants. Good News, there are a few easy precautions we can take to protect our favorite plants and extend the gardening season to get a little more out of our summer efforts. It’s also the best time to begin improving the soil for next year’s garden so let’s look at…
Plant Health & Seed Saving Recent rains have been welcome but have promoted plant diseases, weeds, and some pests. As harvesting of onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and other vegetables continues it’s important to apply sanitation practices to limit damage to our hard-earned harvests. Also, while harvesting veggies, herbs, and flowers is the best part of gardening, don’t overlook another valuable crop you have and might want to harvest… seeds for next year. The easiest seeds to save include peas, beans, heirloom…
After all these rains it’s a great feeling to see your garden in full maturity and producing an abundance of veggies, herbs, flowers, and soon to be harvested potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, turnips, and more. It’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. Harvesting is key to good production, the more you pick the more you get! Leaving fruits on plants to get over-ripe or go to seed tells the plants its job…
It’s a great feeling to see your garden in full maturity and producing as much or more than you hoped for. That’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. Harvesting is vital to good production, the more you pick the more you get! Leaving fruits on plants to get over-ripe signals the plants to slow or stop production. Of course, overabundance can become a burden too, unless we have some good ways to…