Stephani Teran
Express staff
As the heat marches on our gardens often begin to look a bit washed out and spent after the illustrious spring extravaganzas of blooms are gone. This can be avoided by making sure to plant things in your garden that bloom in various stages of the season so that there is always something providing a display. That said, even if you have plenty bursting forth in you garden beds all plants and your soil could use a little TLC to get through the remaining summer days and maintain health through the fall to provide a stunning autumnal garden. Here are ten tips for what you can do to give your heat worn plant babies a little boost.
Collect Seeds: As certain flowers fade they produce seeds. For perennials, like peonies, it’s best to cut off the seed pods so that they don’t take energy from the plant itself and result in smaller blooms next year. For other plants it is wise to collect the seeds and store them to use next spring. Some of the flowers you can collect seed from are: Nigella, Hollyhocks, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Celosias, and Sweet Peas. It is also satisfying to shake one little seed pod and have hundreds of little seeds pour out -far more than you would be afforded in any seed pack you could purchase and for free!
Deadhead Spent Blooms: Often times this task gets away from us but if you take just a few minutes a day to take note of what is done blooming and then cut it back to either maintain the strength of the plant itself our encourage new blooms to develop your garden will look fresh and well kept when it can otherwise start to look a bit tired and wild.
Start Cool Season Crops: Now is the time to start cool season crops. Kales, lettuces, root crops such as carrots, radishes, beets, and cabbages -all of these can be started as long as they are protected from intense heat. By the time the summer days have simmered these veg will be coming into their glory for those recipes (think soup season!).
Add a Fresh Layer of Compost: Compost is always a good idea for healthy soil. I recommend mulching with it instead of using wooden mulch. This late into the summer the ground is parched and although the summer thunderstorms are enjoyed by many the amount of rainfall that often occurs with them washes nutrients away from the soil rather than a slow, steady rain that lets nutrients be absorbed. Adding an inch or so to the garden -either over the entire space or just around the plants will provide your blooming beauties with a late summer snack to ensure plant health.
Manage Pests and Diseases: By now we all know what areas are the problems this gardening season. The pests have moved in and made themselves quite comfortable by now and diseases have likely reared their ugly head in pockets of the garden that we have to work to keep at bay and irradicate. If you stay on top of this maintenance now it will help lessen and irradicate disease and pests that are getting ready to overwinter in your soil.
Keep Your Watering Consistent: This one is a no brainer but if you are able to keep watering consistent then it’s actually more important than keeping it constant. Plants are like tween aged children in that they like a bit of independence to grow and strengthen on their own, but they do still need you frequently enough. Please make sure to adhere to all water restrictions in your area.
Weed Before They Seed: This is the biggest struggle on my farm so hopefully someday I will better practice what I here preach. There is an old adage that letting a weed go to seed one year gives you seven years of grief because one weed can make enough seeds to make hundreds more.
Harvest and Preserve: In addition to keeping up with weeding and deadheading, don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of your labor. As certain crops pour in this time of year without inhibition it can be overwhelming to try to keep up. By preserving excess crops, be it via freezer storage or canning, there are so many delicious and enjoyable ways to make the best of the abundant harvest.
Feed Container Plants: By now your poor planters on the porch have (hopefully) been watered unit hardly any nutrients remain in the soil. By adding a bit of compost and or appropriate fertilizer to the soil in the potted planters you will bring your worn displays back to life and encourage prolonged bloom so you can make the most out of those summer pots on the porch right up until the frosts setting in.
Map Out Your Garden for Next Year: When your garden is at its fullest is the best time to really take a good look at it and see if there are spaces that need amending. Are some areas sparce? Are some too crowded? Are there pockets devoid of color while other areas are having a technicolor moment? Make notes or take pictures or draw out your garden on grid paper, but if you record this information now when you can see the full scope of your gardens peak season design you will be able to make wise choices for later on.
Best wishes for continued garden bliss the next few months and Happy Gardening!