‘Fall is for planting’
Labor Day is more than a date on the calendar to mark the last
of summer’s hooray. This mellow time signals the beginning of the
garden’s changeover season.
As the nights grow longer and cooler, some folks pick the last
of their tomatoes, put away their garden tools and say,
”
OK, that’s it for me.
”
‘Fall is for planting’
Labor Day is more than a date on the calendar to mark the last of summer’s hooray. This mellow time signals the beginning of the garden’s changeover season.
As the nights grow longer and cooler, some folks pick the last of their tomatoes, put away their garden tools and say, “OK, that’s it for me.”
Still some of us embrace the garden’s second season. Since gardening is a year round treat in our mild California weather, this is the time to gently fold the last of the summer garden into the beginning of the fall season and beyond.
The nursery trade has a theme: Fall is for planting. That is more than a catchy advertising gimmick to grab the attention of home gardeners and do-it-yourself landscapers. Fall is an ideal time for planting everything from cold-season vegetables to new lawns and giant trees. The reason is that newly installed plants put down roots in the still-warm fall soil, rest during the winter months, and then turn their full energy into new growth once the soil begins to warm in early spring.
Whether your plan is to merely spread some seeds for wildflowers, or go whole hog with an entire new landscape, here are some ideas:
Start by taking out everything that looks worn out, frazzled or totally dead. Many summer vegetables and flowers, particularly beans and squash, are past their prime. Stop wasting time and water on these characters. But, continue to baby along tomatoes, gourds and pumpkins, plus petunias, impatiens and other flowers that are still showing color.
Plant cool-season vegetables and flowers. By sowing seeds or transplanting seedling in the garden now, it is possible to harvest all fall, and then take advantage of Nature’s refrigerator to overwinter remaining crops. Edible best bets include beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, swiss chard, kale, spinach, parsley and radishes.
Annual blooms include sweet peas, sweet alyssum, bachlor’s button, calendula, carnation, celosia, clarkia, forget-me-not, primrose, Iceland poppy, stock, pansy and viola.
Nearly all perennials can go in now, including candytuft, columbine, coreopsis, delphinium, dianthus, foxglove and vernica.
Some of California’s best flowers start with wildflower seeds, which are traditionally sown after the first serious fall rains. If we come to the end of October and are still waiting for the first “serious” rain, then go ahead and sow them anyway.
To help new plants, dig in compost or other soil amendments as you plant. Soil needs this attention to renew nutrients that have been used up during the summer garden.
Pull weeds as they appear. Remember, weeds never have an off-season. Also, rake leaves as they fall and put them in a compost pile or bin. The leaves that come down in fall turn into nature’s gold – leaf compost – in the spring.
Unlike the spring garden that is planted in one fell swoop, the fall-winter garden is taken in small steps that encompass the last of the summer harvest, and preparing for the next round. Go dig a hole, buy something new and unusual to put in that hole, and watch it thrive for you over the next season.
Plant a Row for the Hungry: What has shaped up to be the peak of the harvest season proved to be a huge benefit for Community Pantry. Plant a Row for the Hungry gardeners and specialty growers shared 4,716 pounds of fruit and vegetables this past week. That brings the total to 19,958 pounds of produce shared so far this year.
“It was an exciting week,” admits Mary Anne Hughes, Pantry director. The astounding amount of food included melons, tomatoes and squash, all of which will be used to supplement food bags distributed to those in the community who need it most.
Others with garden produce to share can find the Pantry at 30 Airport Ave., Hollister. For more information, call (831) 637-0340.
A Reader Wants to Know: I have some really nice pumpkins in my back yard. They’re orange, and look good. When is the right time to pick them?
Joan Says: Let the vines die down before harvesting your pumpkins. You will notice that some leaves are already beginning to die. Use shears to clip off the pumpkins, leaving a little stem for the “top.”
