I hope you enjoy this issue of Stewart's Gardening News!

Julia

Harvest Time

On September 22, Fall officially arrives. That means there is much to do in the garden right now. We have been busy harvesting and drying celosia, ornamental grasses, coneflower seed-heads, and mountain mint.

Our ornamental gourds are coming in nicely and will be ready for harvesting when the stems start to die back. We have learned not to plant gourds until July 4th. We used to plant them in May or June with our other annual seeds and they were ready for use the first of August which is way too early. I love to decorate with gourds.

We found some fun varieties this spring at our local co-op. We were able to get varieties such as the Bottle Gourd, Apple Gourd, Caveman's Club Gourd, and the Swan Gourd. I think my favorite this year may be the Snake Gourd.

The snake gourds grow 8-48" long and actually coil and twist when growing which makes them look just like a snake. The packet had a picture of some that were dried and painted to look like snakes. This would be such a fun activity for kids or even crafty adults.

For more information on what to do in the garden now, see the September checklist below.

• If you are growing gourds, melons, or pumpkins, pinch off the tips of the vines. That will help the plants to direct their energies into ripening the fruits already on the vines instead putting on more green growth.
• Divide spring blooming perennials if the middle is dying out or if they are crowded.
• Decide which herbs you may want to overwinter inside and take cuttings. We will be discussing how in upcoming blogs.
• Plant cold weather veggies like leaf lettuce, radishes, spinach, and turnip greens by the middle of the month for a fall garden.
• Order bulbs now while they are cheaper (see resources below), and plant in October-December. The ground temperature has to be 60 degrees or below. If you haven't looked at bulbs in catalogs lately you will be amazed. If you have deer problems, plant daffodils (poisonous) instead of tulips (their favorite!)
• Improve the soil in your vegetable garden by planting a cover crop of alfalfa, buckwheat, soybeans, and Southern peas. These grasses and grains protect bare soil over the winter and when tilled under in early spring produce good organic matter and adds nutrients to the soil.
• If your annuals are looking bad, go ahead and pull them up if you want.
• Now is the time to reseed your yard. It's good to get it up and established before the first frost.
• Buy annuals such as pansies and ornamental cabbage, as soon as they become available in garden stores. This way their roots can become established before the first frost. Be sure the colors you pick go with the perennials and annuals you still have blooming in your bed.