Sally Scalera
| For FLORIDA TODAY
September’s upon us, Space Coast, so expect the high temperatures to stick around this month and plan your yard work for the cooler times of the day. After all, the morning is typically the “coolest” part of the day, and when the sun begins to set in the evening, the temperatures could begin to feel better. Get your calendar because two events are scheduled, plus suggestions of things to do in your yard through September.
*On Wednesday, Sept. 3, we will have a Butterfly Appreciation Day from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., hosted by the Merritt Island Wildlife Association and the Brevard Discovery Garden. The event begins with a welcome and introduction from the Director of the Merritt Island Wildlife Association, followed by a Butterfly Species Spotlight. Next will be a presentation on Creating a Pollinator Habitat, and then the group will tour the Brevard Discovery Garden and conduct a butterfly count. Admission is free, but we are requesting that residents sign up through Eventbrite, at this link: https://ButterflyAppreciationDay.eventbrite.com for planning purposes.
* Mark your calendar for Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and join us for our Autumn in Bloom Festival. We will have multiple educational programs offered in the morning and the afternoon, a native and Florida-Friendly plant sale, multiple iris varieties, fall vegetables and herbs, fun games for kids and adults, tool sharpening, a photo contest, plant vendors, and food trucks, so join us in the morning, afternoon, or for the entire time! To stay up to date on the plant sale, follow the Brevard Discovery Garden Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BrevardDiscoveryGarden/.
* The fertilizer ban is still in effect throughout the county (including all municipalities), so do not apply fertilizer containing nitrogen and/or phosphorus this month. On Oct. 1, the fertilizer ban will be over, so if needed, apply fertilizer containing nitrogen as early as possible that month. To take care of both your soil and the Indian River Lagoon, consider using organic fertilizers.
* Stop throwing your coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags in the garbage, but instead scatter them around your vegetables, turf, and landscape plants! Coffee grounds benefit many plants because they contain the important plant macronutrients nitrogen, potassium, and magnesium. Two plants that do not respond well to coffee grounds are geraniums and asparagus ferns, but since asparagus ferns are invasive, applying coffee grounds around them would be a good idea! Compost and/or charged biochar can also be broadcast throughout the yard to enrich the soil.
* Give your poinsettia bushes their final pruning for the year during the first week of September.
* Some herbs that can be planted in September include chives, fennel, garlic chives, sage, sweet marjoram, thyme, mint, oregano, and rosemary.
* Vegetables that can be planted this month include arugula; beans; beets; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; celery; Chinese cabbage; collards; cucumbers; eggplant; endive/escarole; kale; lettuce; mustard; onions – bunching (green and shallots); peppers; radish; spinach; squash; strawberry bare-root plants (Sept. 25 – Oct. 25); Swiss chard; tomatoes; and turnips. Inoculate the hole with earthworm castings and a granular mycorrhizal mixture when planting the vegetables. For bean and pea plants, inoculate them with Rhizobium leguminosarum bacteria. For more information on this topic, email the UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County Master Gardeners at brevard-mg1@ufl.edu.
* Vegetable seeds that can be sown in September, grown as transplants, and then planted in the garden in October include arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
* Visit the Brevard County Farmers Market every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. at the Wickham Park Pavilion in Melbourne and check out the fresh produce and delicious edibles that will be available through September, including fresh herbs, a variety of microgreens, shoots, and microgreen growing kits. The vegetables that will be available are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and potatoes. In addition, there will be honey, mushrooms, seasoning blends, beef jerky, fresh salsas, candied jalapenos, sweet relish, cupcakes and other sweets, homemade jams, apple butter, and jellies, and a variety of homemade nut butter.
For pasta lovers, freshly made pasta, sauces, cheese, and other delicious Italian items will be available. Deep Roots Meat comes with their Florida-grown, grass-fed Angus beef, pork, and chicken straight from their farm on the second Thursday of every month. To stay up to date with the most current information, follow the Brevard County Farmers Market Facebook page at facebook.com/brevardcountyfarmersmarket/.
Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Science.
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