Seems counterintuitive, but it is transition time for flowers and veggies. These Dog Days, when we can barely gasp for breath outside, are when proactive old-hand gardeners start shifting into late summer, fall, and even winter mode; waiting for nicer weather is often too late for a decent harvest.
Most of us already have plants growing, of course, but that’s not a problem. Instead of waiting until later to pull up everything and start over from scratch, simply set a few new plants in between or in front of the already-established, so there is less of a sense of loss when it comes time to pull up the old stuff. Or start new pots in behind the older ones so they are ready to go later. You may even want to prune back a few flowers like lantana, marigolds, and scraggly petunias to give them a new lease on summer life, and thicken up mums for more flowers later.
Begonias, zinnias, marigolds, periwinkle, and shade-loving impatiens can still be set out, no problem, as can already-growing transplants of summer veggies and herbs, including tomatoes, peppers, and basil (if you can find any plants). I often see peppers set out in august loaded with berries from top to bottom in October.
Whether grown in flowerbed dirt or containers, it will be important to mulch with leaves, bark, cardboard, or even newspaper to keep soil and roots fairly cool and moist and grow deep very quickly. Given occasional deep soakings and light fertilization, small transplants will grow quickly in the warm weather, remaining stocky and sturdy instead of getting leggy like those set out back in early spring. They often out-produce tired plants that have struggled through the past couple of months.
I try to get a head start on some “stemmy” cool-season plants like kale, cabbage, broccoli, and snapdragons, but even they need protection from hot, dry weather. I would start them in little pots to set out after they get a few sets of leaves, or if you buy transplants choose the smaller, more tender ones over the big, tough ones with stems that have kinda hardened a bit; the key to fast production is in steady non-stop growth, with water and small amounts of fertilizer, and older, larger transplants that have stayed in pots too long get woody and have a hard time kicking back into gear.
But I wait til early September to sow seed of small fast-growing, fast-producing violas, pansies and snapdragons, and leafy lettuces, turnip greens, carrots, beets, radishes, and spinach. An easy way to get them started fast is to sow the seed lightly over already-moist soil, and cover with a board to keep direct sun from crusting over the dirt and drying out the seeds. Keep them lightly moist and check after a few days so when the little plants start to grow you can remove the board and give them a good soaking.
As for watering, after decades of summer and fall gardening, I have learned to train plants for less water. An occasional slow, deep soaking, or two waterings a few minutes apart to really puts moisture down deep, and works far better than watering every day or two. Mulches help on this.
Waiting until Autumn is often too late for planting or pruning some of Fall’s best flowers and vegetables. Time now to start busting a move; drink some water, grab your hat, and brave the weather to prune, plant, or at least turn the dirt and re-mulch so the hard bit is done when you do get ready for fall.
Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the “Gestalt Gardener” on MPB Think Radio. Email gardening questions to rushingfelder@yahoo.com.
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