Hello, friends!
Happy Labor Day weekend! I hope all of you in the northeast and mid-Atlantic weathered hurricane Ida without injury or damage. We were very lucky over here and are praying for those who were not, as images from hard-hit areas have been horrific.
Not quite sure how to transition from that to talking about mangled vegetables, but that’s what we’re here for, so…
Did you grow a five-fingered carrot, a curly cucumber or a tomato that looks like a body part? It’s time to show off your wacky, mutant vegetables!
Send me your photos (include your name, hometown and photo credit information) and I’ll compile the best and share them next week!
✅ Your Fall Garden Checklist
Most gardeners consider spring to be prime planting time, spending countless hours in April and May preparing and amending the soil, constructing raised beds, hauling mulch and compost, and planting delicate vegetable seedlings. Late summer typically is a time to reap what’s been sown, with fruit and vegetable harvests taking center stage, and the garden put to bed soon after. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here are some projects, tasks and chores to tackle between late summer and frost.
You can enjoy a second harvest this year by planting cool-season vegetables right now. Try sowing kale, collard greens, swiss chard and other greens this weekend.
Most houseplants are tropical plants that won’t survive winter outdoors unless you live in a tropical climate, so if you’ve placed them outdoors for summer it’s time to start transitioning them back indoors. But just as it’s important to “harden off” plants in spring by gradually acclimating them to the outdoor environment (sunlight, wind, etc.), it’s also important to move them indoors gradually to avoid shock and decline. So place pots in a shady spot for a week, where they’ll become accustomed to lower light levels. And to avoid infestation, check them for pests and rinse them off well before they re-enter your home. If you suspect a problem, replant them in fresh potting mix.
Plant pansies and chrysanthemums! Whereas most annuals we plant in the garden thrive over summer and then succumb to cold weather, pansies are the opposite: They handle winter just fine, so if you plant them now, they’ll reemerge in spring. It’s the summer that kills them. And remember that chrysanthemums are perennial: If you purchase potted mums, plant them in the garden when the flowers fade. They’ll return for you year after year.
Leave perennials standing in the garden until spring. They’ll provide shelter to wildlife and pollinators and their seedheads will feed songbirds. Exception: If plants were diseased or infested this year, remove them and clear the soil of fallen leaves and plant debris.
Plant new perennials, trees and shrubs. We always seem to wait until spring to do this, but that’s mostly because that’s when nurseries are fully stocked. However, the cooler autumn weather and soil conditions are more conducive to root establishment.
Rake leaves from the lawn into garden beds to serve as a shallow crown- and root-protecting mulch over winter. Alternately, shred them with a mower and leave them on the lawn, where they’ll nourish the soil and help retain moisture. (Oak leaves should always be shredded before using as mulch because they tend to mat, which blocks oxygen and water from plant roots.)
Pull weeds up by their roots. The more you tackle now, the less you’ll have to deal with in spring.
Grass (except varieties like zoysia and St. Augustine) is a cool-season plant, which is why it goes dormant and turns brown over summer. But that’s also why fall is the ideal time to seed in most regions. Seed once a week and water lightly twice a day until it’s four inches tall.
Regardless of whether your lawn is established or newly planted, raise blades for the last mowing of the season. Leaving taller grass in place will help protect roots until spring.
Clean up vegetable beds, test the soil’s pH and incorporate amendments, if necessary. Then spread 2 to 3 inches of compost onto the soil and let it work its magic over winter.
Give your future self the gift of a colorful spring garden. Although late September and October are high bulb-planting season, it’s really never too late to plant them — as long as there isn’t snow cover and the soil is unfrozen and soft enough to dig (you only risk a possibly diminished bloom the first season.)
After the first hard frost, apply mulch around perennials, bulbs, shrubs and trees to keep soil temperature even and avoid heaving.
👉👉If you’re enjoying this newsletter, why not share it with a gardening friend?
💡 If you do one thing this week…
See above and choose your own adventure.
📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: Can you tell me when corn is ready to harvest? — Anthony Meule, Valley Stream, NY
DEAR ANTHONY: Timing is everything when harvesting corn. Too early will mean kernels that aren't sweet enough. Too late, and you’ll be eating starchy, tough kernels. So how to gauge the right time? It’s all in the silky tassels: corn is typically ready three weeks after the first silks appear, and that’s also when the creamy-yellow silks turn brown and dry up.
If you still aren’t sure, you can test this by cutting a small, vertical slice into the center of a husk and digging your nail into a kernel. Observe the juice that comes out. Corn is ripe when it’s milky but clear. If it's watery, wait a bit longer.
👏 Sunday shoutout
“My backyard is smiling,” writes Beth Brenner of Atlantic Beach, NY.
You’re growing some of my favorite plants, Beth, so I’m smiling, too! I see daylilies, coneflowers, pink Coreopsis and white Liatris. Beautiful!
📧 Send me your feedback!
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.