When summer comes to a close and autumn is peeking around the corner, weary gardeners still have work to do. Here are some tips for gardening in the Dog Days of Summer!
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If you have read my post, The Uprooted Ginger: Failing in the Garden, then you know I've been struggling through a drought and a pest ridden garden season this summer. After planning all winter and being blessed with an early spring, my vegetables along with my enthusiasm were knocked down to the ground by mid June. I took my own advice and salvaged what was left of the season (even though it didn't look anything like my original plans), and found the joy in gardening.
Now it's August, and the drought continues with no relief in sight. However, I'm not across the finish line just yet! My gardens look like I did at the end of my first half marathon-still going, but not pretty. Time to get to work!
Clean Up the End of Summer Gardens!
Keep in mind that I am NOT preparing my beds for winter right now; I'm stretching the end of summer. This begins with a quick clean up.
Tools to gather:
If you don’t have one already, consider getting a reusable debris bag like this one from Fiskars. I use mine almost daily in my gardens for collecting clippings. I also love my Gorilla cart with its dumping feature for hauling larger debris and bags of soil. Grab your clippers and gloves and get busy!
Rip out the Dead, Dying and Under-Performers.
Your gardens will look so much better once they're removed. If you don't have the heart to toss the under-performers, do like I did at my last house. I made a "rehab" garden spot for a last ditch effort to save a plant. If it failed there, it was added to the compost later.
These cucumbers performed very well this season, but then I went out of town. ARGH! Not being picked routinely, they turned yellowish orange and told the vine that they were done. What an eyesore! They were the first to get removed, and my kitchen garden looked so much better.
Deadhead the Flowers.
End of summer is a great time to remove the spent blooms on your flowers. Leaving them will tell the plant it's time to produce seeds instead of flowers. Remember we're stretching the end of summer gardening, not preparing for fall right now. In a month or so (depending on your zone) it will be a different post. For now, let's get another bloom!
Pull the Weeds.
It's not everyone's favorite chore, but I find it oddly satisfying. There's nothing like grabbing a weed, pulling it and having the entire weed come out in one piece! Remember in the movie Mommy Dearest when Joan Crawford is destroying her rose garden in a psychotic fit of rage? She should've gone after the weeds, not the roses!
Ginger Tip: Pull weeds right after a heavy rain or after you've watered. They are much easier to pull.
For the stubborn weeds, (and the thorny ones yikes)- I love my Grandpa's Weeding tool. My back does, too!
Back to School Haircuts
Everyone loves a back to school haircut in August, including your annual plants. This is more than just deadheading. Some of your plants need a serious trim. If you read my post Spring into Summer Container Plants: Tips and Recipes, then you know about Thriller, Filler and Spiller. By now, your spiller is spilling onto the ground and heading to your neighbor's property. Give the containers a good haircut and do a fall makeover later.
Look at the container to the left of my garden gate. The Silver Falls Dichondra has turned into a little monster. Does anyone else see Cousin Itt from the Addams Family?
What a difference a trim makes!
Check your hanging baskets, window boxes and annuals in the beds, too.
End of Summer Gardening Clearance Tables
Now is a great time to shop the sales in the garden centers. I recently found some amazing deals at a local nursery and replenished my hanging herb garden that died. (Someone unknowingly turned off the water supply to my drip irrigation while I was out of town). The staff literally marked the plants down while I was looking at them so I would buy them.
I also grabbed a few flowering annuals and shrubs for mere pennies and filled in the blank spots in my garden.
Fertilize and Water!
The end of summer garden is like the end of that marathon. We are all hot and tired and ready to quit. Fertilize with something like Fox Farm Liquid Plant Food and some Osmocote to give those tired babies a boost. Water water water! Hopefully you're not experiencing the drought like we are and watering isn't as necessary. Lately, all I do is drag hoses and reset irrigation timers for better efficiency.
Remember the Pollinators and Birds.
It's easy to become lazy at the end of summer, but please remember the little helpers in our gardens. This is an excellent opportunity to scrub the bird baths and feeders to remove any bacteria ridden slime that builds up in hot muggy weather.
Ginger Tip: Place a couple of rocks in the bird bath for pollinators. It's easier for them to land and to reach the water's edge for a sip.
When deadheading flowers, leave a few seed heads for the birds.
Butterflies are super active right now. Avoid pesticide sprays if you can.
Say Cheese!
Taking photos of your garden with the end of summer date stamp will be a big help for next year's planning. For example, I keep an album in my phone's photo library labeled "Bulbs" to help me remember where I planted bulbs in the fall, and what they looked like during the season. When fall rolls around for new bulb plantings, I know where certain colors and varieties are already planted. This makes it so much easier to fill in garden planners and seed catalogs over the winter.
Get Ready for Fall!
Now is the time to plan your fall garden additions. Soon the nights will be cooler and the daily temperatures will be milder. Then we can plant cool season vegetables and frost tolerant plants. Depending on your location, you might already be ready! Here in the south we are still cooking in hot summer temperatures, but I will order seeds and decide where to plant them in the upcoming months.
Cool Season Vegetables and Herbs:
cilantro
chives
carrots
kale
swiss chard
broccoli
lettuce
radishes
spinach
onions
garlic
Ginger Tip: Try "Seed Tape" if you're new to vegetable gardening and need an easy method to start.
I planted radish and lettuce seed tapes as an experiment this past year and had great results! Seed tape is like toilet paper strips with seeds spaced perfectly between the layers. Roll out the desired length, cover with soil and water it! Super easy!
Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy!
This is probably the most important tip for end of summer gardening! Winter will be here before we know it, and we will miss our time digging in the warm dirt. Squeeze out every last ounce of summer now while you can.
Reflect in your garden.
Breathe deeply.
Smell your flowers.
Listen to the pollinators buzzing.
Feel the soft leaves and petals.
Watch the birds and butterflies.
This is required homework, my friends!
Happy Digging!
The end of summer might have you dragging your boots in the garden, but I hope these tips help you stretch the season a little bit longer!
Before you know it, we will be preparing for the fall and winter.
Read my post: Putting the Garden Beds to Bed next!
Want to start tackling the fall chores around your house?
Read my post: 4 Fall Chores for the Seasonal Home.
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