Garden Tips for September

A late summer garden has a tranquility found no other time of the year. ~William Longgood

It's just about time to plant spring bulbs. Remember, if the bulb is a smaller type of bloom such as crocus, snowdrops or any miniature variety of daffodil, tulip etc. you'll want to plant them in groups, fairly close together to really get the most from them.

Walk around your property and make decisions on if and where you want any new flower, vegetable or herb beds. Work up the area, remove rocks, and add any organic material now, so it has fall and winter to start working in the soil. You will appreciate this SO much in the spring when you have a fertile area for planting.

Don't forget to rake up crabapples that have fallen. They can be used for apple butter, cider, and jelly. If all else fails, compost them.

If you have tomato plants, start watching the weather forecast for early frost warnings. Cover the plants with a sheet or plastic on the nights it may frost. Once we start getting heavy frost, pull up the plants and hang them in the basement to finish ripening or use the green tomatoes in recipes like we have on OFL.

September and October are perfect in cold climates for planting evergreens such as pine, spruce, hemlock or yew. Watch for deals at nurseries, and plant as soon as you purchase them. Don't go deeper than an inch or two lower than they were planted in the container. Water heavily, and give them a mulch of chopped leaves. If deer are a problem for you in the winter, be sure to surround the new evergreens with chicken wire or other fencing for the winter.

On OFL we have recipes for using green tomatoes in recipes here.

~Brenda