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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER
(FALL)
Gardening Tasks:
* Plant Fall veggie starts by transplants or seeds (check days to
maturity on seed packet and visit nursery for fall veggie starts, we
usually have a nice selection, though in limited quantities.) As Fall
rains become more consistent, it's time to plant trees, shrubs,
perennials (also dividing what you have,) and bulbs, though we also
carry potted bulbs in Spring if you're not planting alot.
* As some flowering perennials really start to loose it from those dry
summer days, it's time to cut them back, although some deciduous
perennials like peonies have lovely fall color. But others that are
yellow, mildewy, and falling over, it's off with their heads! As you
grow more familiar with who lives in your garden, this practice will
become second nature, just don't make the mistake of cutting back
evergreen perennials!
* Powdery mildew has become a huge problem in these parts over the
years and especially this time of year. If it's on a plant you can cut
back, do it and get rid of the infected foliage, unfortunately it's
wide spread on many woody shrubs as well. So prune if it's an
appropriate time for the plant and treat with horticultural oils or
sulfur based fungicides, sometimes they work. If you planted something
that just seems to suffer every year from it, it's time to say good-bye
and maybe give the plant to a fellow gardener in a more conducive
climate.
* More harvesting in the veggie garden, many of the winter squashes and
pumpkins you planted earlier in the season are now ready to store for
Winter consumption and holiday decorating. Pull all remaining
vegetation and disgard, especially if it's mildewy. One of my favorites
for winter eating is the bush Delicata squash, prolific producer in a
small space! Dig any remaining potatoes and store in dry space that
doesn't freeze. Cut asparagus foliage off, which could be 7 feet tall
by now, and topdress with composted manure. Suddenly the garden is
looking pretty empty, pay attention to our first hard freeze ( which
happened on October 29 this year.) The last week in October seems to be
fairly typical for our area, so you may want to cover some of your new
seedlings with row cover or an old light sheet until the really cold
weather passes, which is usually within a few days around here. Once I
pull all of our annual crops, all the beds get knocked back down and we
plant a cover crop. We sell an excellent mix at Islandscape, it has a
perfect ratio of crimson clover, faba bean, common vetch, and cereal
rye, though these are for sale individually as well. When purchasing
covercrop we do need to know your approximate sq. footage to cover, so
have this info. when you come in.
* And there is that lawn again, all green and lovely and probably
needing to be mowed! Though after it's golden Summer it may need
alittle more than just a good haircut. As the rains get more steady
it's time to apply a good Fall fertilizer and overseeding in areas
hardest hit by drought and other ill effects lawns suffer from, this is
also a good time to apply lime if your lawn soil is still below 7 on
the PH scale.
* In the realm of compost, most people get real compost mixed up with a
place they dump organic matter! Anyway, I'm not going into that but
from my own experience, used properly, the drum composters seem to be
the answer for me ( though no matter how hard I try it never looks like
what they show in the video!) But when those cold temps of Fall set in
those little compost eating microbes come to a screaching holt! So
usually by then what's in the drum or my secondary pile goes in to
garden, if it's too chunky, I just dig a furrow and let it continue to
break down beneath the soil. Having piles of organic trash around your
garden that just sits there,(especially if you add other organic waste
like egg shells and coffee grounds) is just asking for trouble from
unwelcome creatures. If you're really attempting compost it must be
delt with often or else you may just consider digging a hole at the
beginning of the season and using the soil to throw over it everytime
you add something.
* Fall is a good time to have your soil tested, especially if you are
planning a new planting area next season, this is most essential in
new veggie plots and lawn areas. Call your local extension service for
soil testing in your area, generally only a small portion is needed
from over the entire area to be tested, soil PH and NPK are most
important, but for new garden sites we do recommend a more
comprehensive test.
* After we have had some good rains, over several inches, you can start
to apply organic fertilizers and mulch around your plants and trees,
remember to hold back mulch from plant's crown, ( refer to F.A.Q page
on website, #3 " Is using mulch really so important"?).
A good time to plant the selections listed below:
* Winter pansies and violas are showing their lovely faces and colors
at the nursery again, and talk about color, you can't beat the annual
Rudbeckias and Arctotis for those Fall containers or gardens, we also
have ornamental kale, cabbage and mustards to add in for interest in
foliage. But if you are one of our hardcore perennial people, lots of
those are looking good too! Some lovely choices are in the wide realm
of ornamental grasses of all shapes and sizes, a wide range of colors
in mums and asters. Also adorning the nursery with their bright colors
are the Caryopteris, Perovskia, Echinacea's (Meadow Bright series and
Big Sky series, Wow), Huechera's, Phygellius, and the start of
Hellebore and Euphorbia season, plant these in Fall for some great late
Winter interest!
* Our deciduous shrubbery selection is really showing off some of it's
Fall color, especially in that wonderful late season sun light. You
just may have a spot for a new shrub, many that flower in Spring or
Summer also have colorful Fall foliage. Some we grow are Viburnums,
forsythia, and winged Euonymus, come by and have a look!
* We start most of our own Fall veggie starts chosen from favorites
we've encountered over the years, though we're always open to new
suggestions, if you have a favorite, let us know and we'll grow it!
Please be aware our Fall starts are usually in limited quanities so
shop early for best selection. As we hone our website we hope to have
what's available posted during the season.
* Our tree inventory isn't what it is when we open in March but it's a
great time to choose a tree for Fall color! And you can always special
order more if we don't have the # of trees you actually need. Even if
you're just taking notes for future planting, it's a perfect time to
come in and check out what so many trees look like in the Fall, we
always have plenty of scratch paper for taking notes!
Seed availability and info.:
* Yes we sell grass seed, lots of grass seed, specially selected to
perform well in our climate, from 5# bags to 50# bags, and if you buy
the seed from us we let you use our spreaders and rollers, plus some
expert tips for success! Make sure you have some idea of your sq.ft.
your attempting to seed so we know how much to sell you!
* We stock a great 4 way cover crop mix in several sizes and also
individual types like crimson clover and rye grass.
* In the veggie department, we usually have "seed" garlic and shallots
in Fall, garden seeds become limited by now but we try to keep in stock
cold hardy types like, lettuces, mustards, brassicas, radishes, green
onions, some herbs, spinach, and other overwintering varieties.
* Don't forget we have a nice, little wild bird feeding area at
Islandscape too, we carry several wild bird seed mixes, big bags of
black sunflower, suet blocks and bird feeders and books on regional
wild birds.
* This is also a good time to sow wildflower seeds, we stock a NW mix
in several sizes of pure seed and you can special order individual
types for specific areas, also available for Fall planting are poppies
(many varieties), foxglove, and lupines.
What's happening in nature:
* Fall color in nature is in full glory, it's always at it's best
around here when we have dry late summers, which we did this year and
usually do. The standouts are our native, crabapples, serviceberry, and
the many varieties of willows we have, they all look so lovely with a
backdrop of dark green in our native conifers.
* A true sign of the changing season is the site of those incredible
Trumpeter Swans, what a treat in the air or their graceful movements
atop the lake or a pond, it's a site I never tire of, true gems of
nature.
*As beautiful as they may look adorning their stately antlers the buck
deer are in "rut" and this isn't a good thing for your unprotected
shrubs and trees. Be sure to diligently use repellants or put up
temporary fences to save your plants because these guys can do some
unbelievable damage to vulnerable plantings. They are not only scenting
for territory, they are also trying to remove the felt off their
antlers, fortunately this practice usually only lasts from late August
until late November. We even spray our young native trees with
repellent to insure regeneration because bucks aren't choosey when it
comes to rubbing off bark!
* Our water ways begin to fill again and our landscape turns from the
dry, sunbeaten island we were only weeks ago, to the lush greens of
Fall, and water seems to stand in every low spot there might be. And
now it's time to appreciate the subtleness of the season and rest and
dream of those long Summer days in the garden in the season to come.
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Untitled Document
Quick link to topics:
Gardening
Planting
Seeds
Nature
Untitled Document
Quick link to topics:
Gardening
Planting
Seeds
Nature
Untitled Document
Quick link to topics:
Gardening
Planting
Seeds
Nature
Untitled Document
Quick link to topics:
Gardening
Planting
Seeds
Nature
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