The Garden Waits

The weeds pile up, waiting to be pulled out of the ground and taken to the back forty. The last hurrah of the flower spikes sway in the cool breezes and gardeners instinctively know, it is time to cut them back. It’s the final stretch of the summer days. Here are a few, gentle reminders of what to do in your garden now. Although they may have been mentioned before, repetition, repetition, repetition…

• Dry your herbs
• Freeze and/or can your fruits and vegetables
• Should wet weather be in the forecast, partially ripened tomatoes are prone to splitting so remove them from the vine and finish ripening indoors
• Deadhead your perennials and remove any tired annuals
• Remove any diseased leaves or plants and dispose of them - do not compost!
• Thatch, aerate, and/or top-seed your lawn (This is the time – do it now!)
• Clean up your vegetable garden and remove the weeds and any faded plants
• Prepare for late sowing (i.e., get the area ready to plant your garlic bulbs in late October)
• Gear up to lime and spread compost on the garden for winter
• Freshen up your yard with fall color; enhance with mums, pumpkins, etc. to add to the natural changes of foliage

To help you get inspired for the garden that waits for its fall face-lift, here is my pick for the inspirational gardening thought of the day. “I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.... I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.” By Nancie J. Carmody

(P.S. I know all my readers who have kids at college can appreciate the laundry portion!)