The end of summer is a wonderful time to enjoy the garden.
The harvest is in full swing as homegrown tomatoes, beans and peppers reach fruition. Annual flowers are at their peak, putting on a show and luring pollinators in during the long, warm days.
As the day ends though, the first clue that autumn lingers comes with a change in the way the sun flickers through the trees and it gets dark a little bit earlier each day.
It's a good time to just sit and enjoy the garden and think about what should be planted where and when.
Planning can be one of the most satisfying parts of gardening and with fall right around the corner, there’s plenty to plan for.
Before we know it, bulbs, trees, shrubs and perennials will be planted.
There’s some things to do now too.
In the vegetable garden this is the perfect time to start a crop of fall peas.
They love cool weather and are most often sowed as one of the earliest spring crops.
Even though August can be a hot month, by the time the peas get growing full force, things will cool off a bit and they will be ready to pick before the first frost.
Another great seed to sow for fall growing is spinach, which will persist well into winter and possibly beyond, depending on the season. Spinach is a much better fall crop in our region than spring, as it goes to seed shortly after things warm up early in the season.
Other seeds to start directly in the garden now include lettuce, Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi, beets, arugula and many others.
They are all great candidates for containers too.
Speaking of containers, this is also a good time to freshen them up with bargain annuals from the garden center or adding an inexpensive hanging basket in the garden to enjoy through fall.
Fertilizing those pots is important this time of the year as they plants can eat up the nutrients quickly in the container.
A liquid, fish or kelp based organic fertilizer will provide quick nutrients from the plants.
Containers will benefit from fertilization once a week. One tip for using liquid fertilizer, water first then add the fertilizer. When the planting mix is moist, less of the fertilizer will be lost through the drainage holes.
Those pots will need water too. As the roots keep growing, they require more water.
There are two jobs best suited for the morning; watering and harvesting.
Whether it’s containers or the garden, soak the root zone, don’t sprinkle. Sometimes that will mean letting the hose soak a plant for 10 or 15 minutes. Use a finger and push it as far as possible into the soil, if it’s moist, the plant probably has the water it needs.
For plants growing in the garden, they only need about one inch of water a week.
Picking vegetables and fruits early in the day, when they have the highest moisture content, will provide the tastiest fresh produce.
When it comes to planning for fall planting, daffodils and lilies are nearly indestructible.
Let’s start with the lilies
Many varieties are fading away now, but made the early and mid-summer garden spectacular. The key to growing lilies is keeping them safe from deer. If there’s a place in the landscape with six or more hours of sun that’s deer free, get some bulbs and plant away next month.
Spring would not be the same without daffodils, their bulbs will also be planted next month. This is the time to walk the landscape and decide where they will go.
There are 13 different divisions of daffodils, each with a different look.
The planning part is also about choosing early, mid-season and late blooming daffodils. This extends the bloom season, which sometimes can begin in February and continues into May.
Planting daffodils and lilies creates a sort of garden legacy.
Long after we’re gone, they will still be blooming and making people smile.
That’s another reason why we garden.
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Host of "In Doug's Garden" on CBS KDKA-TV Streaming
Host of the Talking Trees podcast for The Davey Tree Expert Company
Consultant for Farm to Table Buy Fresh Buy Local
Columnist for Pittsburgh Earth Day's "The Green Voice"
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