Magic of Gardening

Kohlrabi (shown here) can be planted up until September 15th

FALL GARDEN CARE AND MAINTENANCE

DON'T PUT AWAY YOUR GARDEN GLOVES YET!

BY BETHANY O’REAR

I love that time of summer when tomatoes, peppers, squash and other “prime season” vegetables seem to crowd each other for attention. The rush to pick, process and share seems never-ending – until it does. Summer heat has prevented plants from setting any more fruit and plants are starting to look raggedy, if not downright puny, from disease. No amount of fertilizer or watering can turn the garden back to its glory of just a few weeks before. But this is only another natural pause in the 12 months of gardening we can enjoy in Alabama. Don’t put away your garden gloves and tools just yet.

Start by removing plant stakes, hoses and support cages. Clear the soil of fallen vegetables, fruits and flower materials. Remove mulch that might harbor disease and give the surface a clean sweep with a hoe to deter weed seedlings which are still thriving nonstop. When you have finished this first, and critical, step of sanitizing your garden, you have a few choices – all of which will benefit the next growing seasons.

You might want to plant a fall vegetable garden.

Many crops will produce another impressive yield when planted in August and September. A slew of favorites – beets, broccoli and cauliflower – can be planted by seed up to August 15th. Choose beet varieties like 'Ruby Queen' and 'Red Ace.' Good cauliflower varieties include 'Violet Queen' and 'Snowcrown.' August 15th to September 1st offers a window to plant lettuce, kale and spinach. You can continue on with kohlrabi and turnips until September 15th. A fall garden gives you an opportunity to experiment with varieties you might not grow typically. How about 'Romulus' lettuce or 'Tokyo Cross Hybrid' turnip? Onion sets should be planted in the first weeks of September while onion seed can be planted the whole month. Whatever you choose to grow, make sure to take into account crop rotation principles. You don’t want to plant crops from the same “family” in the same spot in back-to-back seasons or years.

If your favorite garden plot has declined in recent years due to disease, insects or weed overgrowth, take advantage of the heat of the dog days of summer and put the sun to use. Soil solarization

Broccoli can be planted by seed up to August 15th.

is an easy and effective way to reduce pathogens, nematodes, insect eggs and weed seeds in the soil. Solarization is a particularly effective way of breaking the lifecycle of tiny parasitic nematodes. Because the damage they cause, like stunting and yellowing, is similar to damage from poor soil fertility or uneven watering, nematode infestation doesn’t always spring to mind. Solarization is the ultimate “steam cleaner” for healthy soil. Assuming you’ve already sanitized the garden, water the area deeply until it is drenched to a depth of several inches. Cover with a continuous clear plastic sheet and bury the edges of the sheeting in soil to capture the heat. The goal is to generate as much steam as possible so avoid opaque plastics and make sure there are no gaps in the edging. Weight with bricks or rocks if the area is prone to wind gusts. The plastic has to stay in place for at least four weeks so keep an eye on it to make sure the plastic is not damaged or displaced. When the process is complete you should have a blank slate. The solarization will have knocked back good microbes as well as bad guys so make sure to replenish with well-rotted (and weed-free!) compost.

Planting areas may not need the intensive treatment of soil solarization, but most could benefit from the addition of fall/winter cover crops. Cover crops crowd out competing weed growth and give back nutrients to the soil in the form of fixing nitrogen and as broken-down organic material. In addition, each of these cover crops attracts and supports pollinator populations. Plant Crimson Clover in Cover crops crowd out competing weed growth and give back nutrients to the August and September and their primary pollinators, honeybees, will soil in the form of fixing nitrogen and as thank you. Crimson Clover broken-down organic material. should be applied at the rate of 0.75lb/1000 sq. ft. Canola can also be sown in September at the rate of 0.50lb/1000 sq. ft. Hairy Vetch can be planted between 45 to 15 days before the first anticipated frost at the rate of 0.75 lb/1000 sq. ft. and supports a wide range of bees from large bumble bees to smaller native bees. These cover crops should be tilled under before spring garden planting, increasing the organic content in addition to the nitrogen boost. Fall crops, winter cover crops and steam-cleaned soil are all worthy projects for late summer and fall. Whichever you choose, I hope you enjoy the time spent outdoors in your year-round garden.