End of Summer Garden Maintenance

  

Presently we have a few cooler days and I took advantage of the weather and started the end of summer garden maintenance.  So, I made a list of the garden tasks that need to be completed now so we can enjoy a maintenance free garden during the fall season.

 

Today I removed all of the seedheads from the annual flowers and put the seeds in an envelope.  I will use these seeds for next growing season. 

Then I removed all annual flowers along with wild grasses and weeds from the garden bed.  I also harvested any remaining vegetables and herbs for drying.

 

The end of summer is a good time to trim and prune perennial shrubs, trees and to transplant irises that are overcrowded.

Apply a layer of organic mulch or layer of leaves to your garden beds to enrich the soil during the fall and winter months.  Mulch is also a good way to protect perennial flower  roots from shifting soil due to freezing soils or soil movement.

Maintain your end of summer garden by watering trees, shrubs and fall flowers at least once a week.  

 

Take time to clean your bird feeders, bird baths garden tools, and your lawn mower.  It’s a good idea to take your lawn mower in for service so that its ready for the following season.  

When to Water Tomatoes Grown in Containers

 As a rule, the best time to water your outdoor plants is early in the morning.  The weather in the morning is cooler and this temperature will allow the water to be absorbed into the soil and hydrate the plants.

 It’s not a good idea to water plants in the afternoon or early evening because it its hot outside the water will evaporate instead of being absorbed by the plant’s roots.  However, tomatoes grown in containers will need to be watered more than plants grown in the ground.  It’s smart to check your tomato containers a few times daily to make sure that the soil is not dry. If plants need to be watered late in the day they water them, but at the soil line and not on the leaves.

 

I grow tomatoes in containers and find that the soil does dry out very quickly during the hot summer months.  The container plants need regular watering.  You do not want the soil to dry out, so I recommend watering directly to the soil surface until the water drains from the holes at bottom of the pot.   Then check your tomato plants again before the heat of the day. Water your tomato containers deeply. 

Tomatoes like it hot but extreme heatwaves might be too harsh for a tomato grown in a container.  That is why my tomatoes get 6 hours of morning sun, and shade in the afternoon when the heat is excessive. Then from five in the afternoon to dusk the plants will get three more hours of late in the day sun.  

Keep your tomatoes in container hydrated.  Know that if you water your tomato plants in the morning, then skip the late in the day or early evening watering.  The soil will dry out you will run the risk of your tomatoes cracking from receiving too much water after a dry spell. 

Other Information

If you have not added mulch to your tomato containers then I recommend that you do as it will aid in keeping roots cooler and the mulch will hold moisture.

Growing Tips for Larkspur from Seed

 

Larkspur is a pretty flower that comes in a variety of colors including purple, pink, red, yellow white and blue. The leaves on the plant are fern-like in appearance and the flowers grow in clusters. 

The flowers have no fragrance although my friend tells me that hers have a fresh scent. 

I have never gotten that close to the flower due to the   toxicity.  If my nose were to touch the larkspur the leaves could cause skin irritation.   Every part of this plant is poisonous so I just grow it for pollinators.  The Larkspur attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies as the vibrant color flowers are rich with nectar

Last spring I bought a mixture of wildflower seeds and purple and white larkspur was including in the seed.  Here are a few Larkspur flower photos

 

I grew the wildflowers mix that included the larkspur in a garden bed that had full sun with partial shade in the heat of the day.  The seeds were sowed in rich well drained soil.  All seeds were planted at ¼ deep into the soil.  The flower garden is watered daily to keep the soil evenly moist. 

The best time to plant the seeds is in late spring or early summer when the soil is warm, the seeds will not germinate if the average temperature is below 55 degrees. 

Where I reside the summer months are extremely hot during the day but temperature is cool during the night.  Its important to keep the larkspur hydrated or it will die back.  This plant does better when the summer weather is cooler, rather than hotter.

Growing Tips for Fern

 

Where I reside part of our property is dense woods with fern growing wild underneath the trees. My husband and I transplanted a few fern plants to grow in our yard and gardens.

The first season I grew the fern with my Hosta plants, the second season I transplanted the fern to grow as a border plant along a shaded walkway and also planted them in a garden bed under fir tree.

Fern is easy to grow outdoors and indoors.  As long as the fern is planted in rich well drained soil and they are watered to keep the top five inches of soil evenly moist the fern plant will flourish.

Providing the right light is kind of trickly.  Most people think fern like shade.  But I have found they do best with some shade and indirect light.  You need to avoid direct sunlight for long period of time.  My fern gets morning sun followed by partial shade.

 

I do mist my fern in the morning as this plant does like humidity.  So, if you plan to grow them indoors, I find that bathroom, laundry rooms and kitchens are ideal growing areas.  For growing fern outdoors plant them in locations that offer production from direct sun.  Ideally under trees or shrubs.

 Ferns are really easy to grow as long as they are planted in areas that agree with them, they have the right soil and water so that they soil does not dry out. 

I have fertilized in the spring will a slow-release fertilizer to produce more runners, but its not necessary.

 Maintain your fern by removing dead leaves and keep the garden bed weed free.  My yard and garden is large and other than dividing and replanting in the spring to other areas I have never cut the fern back in the fall.

 Know that if you are growing your fern indoors in a container and see that the roots are growing out of the drainage holes that this is a sign that you need to repot your fern into a larger pot.   Shop for a pot that is three inches larger or a pot with amble space for your fern to grow.  I always clean my pots with antibacterial dawn dish soap and let it dry before filling with rich potting soil for repotting of the fern plant.  Water  well and place in a room in your home that has indirect light and humidity.

Other information about ferns.

It’s a good idea to grow ferns indoors because ferns can help clean the air by absorbing airborne pollutants and increasing humidity.

Grow Black-Eyed Susan Vine from Seed

 

 

In March I bought from 100  Thungergia Black-Eyed Susan flowering vine seed mix for planting in a container that would be located in a sunny location.

Here is a photo of a fully grown  black-eyed Susan flowering vine

 

The photo shown was of an ivy like trailing plant that was covered in yellow blooms.  I thought it was pretty so I bought and planted indoors so it would grow for eight weeks or until the threat of spring frost would pass.

 

The direction of the back of the seed packet indicated that it was best to soak the seeds in tepid water overnight.  The following morning I  planted the seeds in a container that was filled with miracle grow  well-drained soil that was formulated container gardens.  I then watered, then covered the flower bed with saran wrap.  The indoor hanging container was then hung next to a southern exposure window.

 Here are a few of my photos 

The annual seeds for USDA zone 3 to 10 germinated very quickly and produced strong leafy vines.  In May I brought the container outdoors and hung in an area where it would get 6 hours of sun daily.

 

I fed with miracle grow bloom booster and kept the soil moist.  My yard does not get a lot of sun and this plant needs full sun.  For me it bloomed once two small flowers.

Know that if I had more sun in my yard that this plant would produce more blooms.  I like the plant as it is pretty and plan on bringing it indoors in the winter.

 

If you have a lot sun in your yard then I would recommend that you grow   the black-eyed Susan flowering vine as it is low maintenance, produces pretty longs season flowers that will add interest to your yard and garden.