A few tasks you can do in the garden to help keep the enjoyment coming now and into next year.
Released August 18, 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn. -— As bountiful vegetable harvests and glorious flower displays continue in late summer, there are a few tasks we can do in the garden to help keep the enjoyment coming now and into next year. Cooler conditions, typical of September, offers a great opportunity to spend time out in the yard.
For some timely September gardening projects, you could:
- Plant a fall crop of fast growing, cool season vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and radishes. If your local garden center does not have seeds in stock, consider a late season order from some online seed catalogs.
- Create a fresh seasonal accent with mums, flowering kale, asters, and other fall favorites like corn stalks, squash, and gourds; all abundant at local garden centers and farmers markets.
- Plant new lawns and seed bare areas of existing lawns. This is the best time of year to seed cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass.
- Prepare for the transition of bringing houseplants that were outside for the summer back indoors. Many tropical houseplants suffer chilling injury at temperatures below 50 degrees.
- Continue to remove weeds and diseased plant materials from the garden.
- Obtain and plant spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths. Planting in September allows for good root development before winter and better quality flowers come spring.
- Continue watering trees, shrubs and perennials as needed to promote a healthy root system and reduce plant stress entering winter.
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http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2008/gardentips.html
Contacts: David C. Zlesak is a horticulturist with University of Minnesota Extension.
Catherine Dehdashti, (612) 625-0237, ced@umn.edu
