Save the date! Holiday Garden Art & Crafts - 11/18/23. Find more details in EVENTS!
garden Borders and beyond
At last, the rains are coming
The light rains in the last week of August provided much-needed moisture for the parched earth. Early summer flowers are going over and some are setting seed. This is a good time to collect ripe seedheads to save seeds for next year, or alternately, cut the flower heads back to prevent overzealous self-seeding.
Another consideration is to leave the seedheads in place to feed the birds over the winter when food is scarce. The dried flower heads of sedums, rudbeckia and echinacea are structural and provide visual interest through to the rest of the year.
Continue to water your plants until we get consistent moisture from the rains.
As the leaves change color and deciduous tress start to drop their leaves, consider turning the leaves into leaf mold instead of disposing them in the yard waste bins. Rake up the leaves into a pile or leave them in place to feed the soil and microorganisms. If you have larger leaves that take a long time to break down, consider running them over with a lawnmower and shredding them first. The leaves will provide nutrients to your garden, and add organic matter to your soil.
in the vegetable patch
Cure your winter squashes and clean up your vegetable garden...
The vegetable garden should be cleared of plant matter to prevent disease and pests from overwintering. Cut down the vegetable stems at the root level. The roots will breakdown over the winter and feed the soil. Clear tomatoes foliage and fruit and squash vines from the beds to prevent disease. If you are not growing a fall crop, cover the beds with a layer of compost or leaf mold to add nutrients back to the bed and for some winter rain protection.
The season for fall cropping can be extended by using a cold frame or a simple low tunnel with hoops and plastic. The problem with growing a fall crop in this area is too much rain at times, leading to rot. The cold frame or low tunnel can be used to control how much rain falls on the crops, as well as providing increased warmth.
Harvest winter squash as the vines die back. Cure the squashes in a dry, warm spot for 1-2 weeks to cure them so they will store better.
For a detailed planting calendar, please refer to
- Seattle Tilth's "The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide" book
- PDF from Oregon Tilth https://tilth.org/app/uploads/2015/02/OT_PHCalendar_Archive.pdf
- Oregon extension service https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/monthly-garden-calendars
- Washington State University extension service https://extension.wsu.edu/snohomish/fall-and-winter-vegetable-gardens-for-western-washington