It’s About Thyme
by CHRIS WINSLOW
September is finally here – and each day we come closer to a change in the seasons. Boy, am I happy. Gardeners can actually start gardening again, and get to work setting up their fall vegetable gardens.
Many of our favorite and easy-to-grow fall and winter crops belong to the brassica family. They’re also known as ‘crucifers’ or cross-bearing because their petals resemble a cross. This is a large and very important family and includes cabbage, collard and mustard greens, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, radish, rabe, cress, turnips and bok choi.
The brassicas start to flourish as the days shorten and the temperatures begin to drop. They prefer a well-drained garden soil that’s rich in humus and compost. A mixture of vegetative and manure-based compost added to the native soil should work well. Be sure to mix in some slow release organic fertilizer to the garden soil and add some bonemeal to the root zone when planting your starts.
Don’t overcrowd your plants. Give them plenty of room and plenty of water. Keeping them moist during their growing season will insure that they attain their maximum size. Some of this family can also be used as ornamental plants. Giant red mustard makes a dramatic red landscape plant. It can grow to a height of 2 feet, and has a hot, wasabi flavor. Another colorful one is kale. Red winterbor kale looks so beautiful in the landscape and is wonderful to eat.
Activities for September
• Plant new vegetables for fall and winter harvests. Now is the time for broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
• Cut back annual summer flowers, mulch, and feed. We have approximately 75 to 90 days ‘til the first frost – plenty of time to get a renewed flush of color.
• Water your trees, shrubs, turf grass, and landscape beds. Slow, deep watering will encourage a deep root system and make your landscape more able to withstand our current intense drought.
• Buy bulbs. The season to plant tulips, hyacinths, crocus, jonquils, daffodils, grape hyacinths and anemones is just around the corner.
• Mulch all beds and trees with compost mixed with mulch. This mixture will protect plant roots from our present heat wave and cold extremes, and conserve water.
• Inspect trees for fall webworms, and if you find them, come up with a strategy to get rid of them using Thuricide or Dipel.
• Fertilize lawns toward the end of the month. (Use an organic fertilizer.)
• Be on ‘brown patch alert’ for your grass, and be ready to treat this disease with the organic Actinovate.
• Keep on the lookout for a world of fall bedding (annual) plants. As temperatures cool, we can begin to plant dianthus, snapdragons and petunias.
• Watch for black spot and mildew on roses. With cooler weather, these pesky rose diseases will begin to show up. An organic spray of Neem oil or wettable sulfur should help in keeping it at bay.
Be happy! Summer is almost over and the end of the sweltering days is in sight. I can’t wait to get back out and garden. The stress of summer will soon melt away.
If you have a gardening question, send it to me via email: [email protected] (Please put ‘Ask Chris Winslow’ in the subject line.) Or mail your letter or postcard to: Ask Chris Winslow. It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748
