Hey everybody! It's time for a gardening update!
Most things are kind of pitiful right now because of the extreme heat. I am getting loads of peppers and herbs, but my tomatoes and flowers are kind of slow. I get a few grape tomatoes most days, but I have to wait for slightly cooler weather for them to pick back up. It happens every year, and I know if I watered more and moved the tomatoes into partial shade, it would be better. But I am too lazy.
So, in this lull, I am planning my fall garden. Fall gardens are awesome because the ground is warm when the seeds are sprouting, but the weather turns cooler when the plants are growing. Lettuces, beets, turnips, carrots, and all kinds of greens do better in the fall than in the spring.
Since our first frost date is Oct 25, most of the guides say to plant in late August. I usually wait a bit longer than that because it stays so hot here on into September. I'll probably plant in the week or two after Labor Day weekend. I have waited as late as mid October, though.
Here's what I'm gonna plant:
beets
carrots
radishes
spinach
several varieties of lettuce
arugula
either snap or snow peas (maybe both)
broccoli (which will be an experiment as I have never grown it before)
cabbage
In our mild climate, some of my veggies last all winter. But I am usually gardened out by Christmas and let it all go.
I'll post some pictures as soon as I get things in the ground.
I am also going to add a lot of flowers this fall. Fall is a great time to plant perennials because the roots have all winter to grow deep and strong and because you don't have to water as much as in the spring and summer.
We are thinking of selling our house (when we can get it fixed up enough), and I am going to really do up the flowers and shrubs just in case we can manage that by the spring or summer of next year.
I'm going to plant Shasta daisies, some ornamental grasses, lots of spring blooming bulbs like daffodils and tulips, and whatever other things I impulsively buy at the garden store. I might also get some hydrangeas to spice up the shady back part of the house, and if I do, I'll mix in ferns and hosta.
I have to move my daylilies because Aaron and Livy step on them and ride bikes over them all the time. I thought, but clearly I was wrong, that people would use the walk to get to the front door. Since they are not going to use the walk, my daylilies will have to go. I will plant more this fall, since my mom always gives me a bunch.
I also want more of the fence to be covered with vines. I have a Carolina jessamine that looks really good, but it has taken several years for it to take off. I also have morning glories on part of the fence, but those don't get going early enough for me. I want a spring blooming vine that will look good next year. Any suggestions? I'm gonna plant whatever I choose all over to cover the chainlink fence.
Ideally, I would like to plant some more shrubs around the yard, but since I need them to look good next year, I would have to buy them already really large. That may be too expensive. We'll see.
I can't wait until we are in a house where we will be staying for a long time. (Brendan would say I will never be in such a house because I can't stay put, and that may be true. But I only have to BELIEVE I will be in a house for a long time. It doesn't have to actually happen.) Then I will plant fruit trees, berry vines, asparagus, and garlic.
This garden update has been brought to you by the GA heat (which has kept me indoors for a lot of days) and by the letter Y (which stands for yum, the flavor of homegrown spinach) and by the number 3 (which is how many times too big my garden always is in proportion to my needs).
