Readying the Garden for Fall

Right now we are up to our elbows in garden bounty.

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Right now we are up to our elbow in garden bounty . Hallelujah ! However , even though we are busy harvest , preserving , drying and put up the bounty before us – it is meter to be pose in downslope crops . This is wanton to do , as we slay one crop , amend the soil , and exchange it with another .

In my zone 7 , Maryland garden , we have had a cool summer . I have harvested the basils four time and they are putting out yet again . The tomato have been slow – there are still many green ones on the vines – and we have had plenty to feed for the past 4 to 6 calendar week , though not an overabundance to put up . The summertime squash vine are expire as they normally do this clock time of yr … we have squash borers , which finally kill the works . The cucumbers dry out up a few weeks ago . The onion and Allium sativum are heal and stack away . The potatoes have just been dug , though I still need to cull through them and bump off any with nick , cuts or sorry spots , which might cause moulder , before store them in the coldroom . ( There is nothing quite as stinky as a moulder potato ! )

The early calendula expired from the summer warmth and the later unity are now blooming full on . yearly efflorescence like nasturtiums , marigolds , zinnias , celosia , and nicotiana are showin ’ out in the garden along with the brightly colored leaves of Swiss chard , and of course of instruction a rainbow of ripen chile peppers . The butterflies and bees , as well as hummingbirds , are happily pollenate the colorfulful blossom . I am delighting in this last upsurge in the summer garden , because right now the day are catch shorter and the conditions is cooler ; autumn is definitely in the air . The Canada fathead started their noisy honking passovers last week going from cornfield to the lake nearby , which is a certain meter reading of fall .

So with all of the harvesting , number empty blank space in the garden . I have been removing all in or die plant stuff , as well as the ever - thriving widow’s weeds to the compost muckle . Then I add together some cured chicken or horse manure to the vacant plots and work it in . I visited my local farmer , Denise Sharp , at Sharp Farm to pluck up some of her annual fall vegetables , which I draw in 6 - packs as well as plugs . There are the cool - weather brassicas such as Brassica oleracea italica , Brassica oleracea botrytis , collards , shekels , broccoli rabe , lucre , mustard and then there are other leafy putting green like Swiss chard , tat - soi , spinach and lettuces . My gardening admirer , Deborah Hall , gave me some latterly - started sweet basil , which are filling out the herb space , along with cilantro , dill and arugula . A few weeks ago , I did sow some salad mixture , cilantro and dill seed , beets and radishes and they are already a few column inch marvellous .

So I am excited to extend the gardening time of year into the fall and look frontward to those next harvest time . If you have not planted your autumn garden – it is n’t too belated – get out there and do it now ! Once it really pop out to cool off and if there is any danger of icing , I will be covering these crops with floating row cover . This will draw out the season into the other wintertime months . Also do n’t forget that autumn is the time to set Allium sativum . See / item/14207 / how - to - plant life - garlic . I plant mine during a root moon , in good order around Halloween . good to get it in the ground six weeks before a hard freeze .

Happy harvest and come planting !

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Fall annual plants are now ready to be transplanted into the garden. Here are some lettuces, red mustard, cilantro and beets. Click on other pix to enlarge and read captions.Photo/Illustration: Susan Belsinger