Mid-South: September 2016

Welcome to September. The kids have been in school for almost a month here. (I see family members' kids just going back now in other parts of the country.) The days are definitely getting shorter. And we've been in the 60's a couple of mornings!

September is National Preparedness Month. What is your family doing to get prepared for winter emergencies? We'll be taking part in our county's annual Preparedness Fair at the end of the month. This year we'll probably be talking about winter car kits. And we're meeting with our local EMA to discuss Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) certification training.

We haven't been able to finish the new greenhouse yet, so I haven't started any fall planting. The tomatoes are still producing, as are the eggplants. I've got a honeydew hanging on the trellis and a cantaloupe in the fridge for DH. But there's lots to be done.

Since the temps are going down in the morning, this would be a good time for fall clean-up...

Gardenate.com:

Beans - broad beans, fava beans (also Fava bean) Plant in garden.
Beetroot (also Beets) Plant in garden.
Cabbage Plant in garden.
Carrot Plant in garden.
Cauliflower Plant in garden.
Celeriac Plant in garden.
Chives (also Garden chives) Plant in garden.
Collards (also Collard greens, Borekale) Plant in garden.
Garlic Plant in garden.
Kohlrabi Plant in garden.
Leeks Plant in garden.
Lettuce Plant in garden.
Mustard greens (also gai choy) Plant in garden.
Onion Plant in garden.
Pak Choy (also Pak choi) Plant in garden.
Radish Plant in garden.
Rocket (also Arugula/Rucola) Plant in garden.
Rutabaga (also Swedes) Plant in garden.
Spinach (also English spinach) Plant in garden.
Spring onions (also Scallions, Bunching onions, Welsh onion) Plant in garden.
Turnip Plant in garden.

Urban Farmer gives us this information:

Although September marks the beginning of fall, there are still a few fast growing vegetables that can be planted this month and be harvested before the first frost in most gardening zones. Remember to keep your soil warm by removing all mulch and maybe try using a plastic sheet to trap heat into the soil. Try these vegetables below and you can still take advantage of your garden this fall.

Blueberries
Fall is the perfect time to plant blueberry plants. Planting in the fall will allow for good root growth and early growth this coming spring.
Suggested variety: Blueberry Bluecrop

Broccoli
If you live in a warmer climate and can find a quick growing Broccoli variety you can harvest well into November.
Suggested variety: Calabrese

Flower Bulbs
September is a great time to plant those fall flower bulbs. There are many varieties that can be planted this fall and start blooming early spring. Flower Bulbs

Garlic
Garlic is a vegetable that can be planted in the fall for a larger and earlier harvest this coming spring.
Suggested variety: Italian Garlic

Lettuce
Sow lettuce late summer for a fall crop. Grow fast maturing varieties.
Suggested Varieties: Buttercrunch

Radish
A quick and easy vegetable to grow. Plant now and you can have them ready in 30 days.
Suggested variety: Cherry Belle

Spinach
Spinach is more of a cool weather vegetable and is great to grow in September.
Suggested variety: Bloomsdale, Olympia Hybrid, Samish


Rodale's Organic Life reminds us of some chores to be done:

SEPTEMBER

Strange, but you may find yourself working harder in the garden in September than in April here in Zone 7. The big jobs are staying ahead of the weeds (and bugs), and getting that fall garden vegetable garden going.

Sowing cover crops is highly desirable anywhere you've got bare soil, because they prevent erosion and add organic matter back to your soil. Buckwheat makes a good short-term cover. The classic winter cover crop here in the Carolinas is crimson clover, which will be growing through spring. Annual rye grass can do a similar job.

Harvest Time. This is an ideal time to harvest and spread compost from your home bins. Remember that even a relatively small amount (1/2" covering of the soil) brings great benefits by enriching microbial life in the topsoil.

Mulch Check. Check your mulch and renew if needed. Remember to keep it away from the trunk or main stem of your plants, and don't apply more than about 3 inches—any deeper and it will be difficult for water to reach your plant's roots.

Shrub Care. Leave your shrubs and trees alone this month—no fertilizer, no pruning. Be especially careful not to prune plants that bear autumn flowers (like Sasanqua camellias) or set berries (like winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata), as well as spring bloomers like azaleas.

Relocate Perennials. Now is a good time to begin relocating perennials (and planting new ones). If black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia. spp.) have taken over, dig out most and share them with friends, and add some other plants to the bed such as coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), bee balm (Monarda spp.) and tickseed (Coreopsis spp.), to name only a few native charmers.

Mum's the Word. Speaking of garden centers, this is the time for 'instant color' mums. I say I don't really like chrysanthemums, but I always end up with a few.

Wild Weeds. Weeds have a field day in August. Keep on top of them by hand pulling the day after a good rain.

Hardening Off Plants. Plants need to harden off before the rigors of winter, even in our mild climate. Go easy on adding nutrients such as manures (except, of course, for vegetables) and on pruning.

Gardening.albertarose.org also gives us a list of to-do's:

Set out transplants of cool-weather vegetables
Prune cane fruits such as raspberries and blackberries
Plant winter pansies and fall annuals (calendula, dianthus, ornamental cabbage and kale)
Plant peonies
Plant fall-blooming bulbs to brighten up fading window boxes, planters and in drifts among ornamental grasses
Continue to harvest herbs and flowers for drying
Divide peonies, bearded iris and other spring- and summer-blooming perennials
Plant bareroot trees and shrubs
Order sweet pea seedlings for fall planting
Plant herbs and groundcovers as the weather cools

Let's go get our hands dirty! What are YOU doing in the garden today?

I won't be doing a full fall garden this year.  I will be working on building new beds which are raised up off the ground to keep roots out.  Also replacing the MM in the 5 year old beds because of the Southern Blight.  In the newer beds, I will try growing mustard this year and turn under to see how that does.  So right now, I am just harvesting and disinfecting my garden implements so I don't spread the disease.  I have a few pots and a small area outside my SFG garden where I am going to plant lettuce and English Shell Peas and maybe some Spinach.

Wow, sounds like you've got a lot going on...

I've been watching your comments about the blight. Hate that that's happened!

I may raise my beds a bit this next time as well. But that's a while off yet.

Hi all!

Spent the weekend traveling through TN. Had beautiful weather, although still in the upper 80's/lower 90's.

In West TN the leaves are starting to fall. But they're not sure if it's fall or the drought.

Driving the I-24/Hwy 680 corridors, we saw 100+ little yellow butterflies heading south. NOT monarchs, not swallow-tails (although we saw a few swallow-tails too). These were lemon yellow. I saw one at DH's cousin's place. It had a thin strip of blue or darker color on the outer edges of the wings. So I guess the migration has begun. Since it's only the beginning of Sept, I'm not sure if it's a portend of a bad winter or what...

Was gifted with 10 gallons of pears and 2 gallons of muscadines. Will be making jelly, preserves, syrup, etc today & tomorrow...

AtlantaMarie wrote:Hi all!

Spent the weekend traveling through TN.  Had beautiful weather, although still in the upper 80's/lower 90's.

In West TN the leaves are starting to fall.  But they're not sure if it's fall or the drought.

Driving the I-24/Hwy 680 corridors, we saw 100+ little yellow butterflies heading south.  NOT monarchs, not swallow-tails (although we saw a few  swallow-tails too).  These were lemon yellow.  I saw one at DH's cousin's place.  It had a thin strip of blue or darker color on the outer edges of the wings.  So I guess the migration has begun.  Since it's only the beginning of Sept, I'm not sure if it's a portend of a bad winter or what...

Was gifted with 10 gallons of pears and 2 gallons of muscadines.  Will be making jelly, preserves, syrup, etc today & tomorrow...

For the first time,  I also saw a slew of yellow butterflies (moths?) flying  by my garden.  Counted 10 in five minutes.  Just flying right thru my garden and on to the southeast.  Some flew around the garden for a minute or two and then flew on their way.

Probably the same ones.... Looked pretty single-minded: Head SOUTH!

Oh, and it's 4 gallons of muscadines/scuppornogs... I can't count this morning...

Nice gifts, AM.

Yes, they were! And those 4 gallons of grapes turned into 12 jelly jars & 14 pints of jelly with almost a pint left for us. Of course, that includes a gallon of water, 34 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup of lemon juice and several hours, lol.

We ran them through the food mill. Don't think I'll bother with that again. Not sure it's worth it. And the jelly is quite cloudy even though we poured it through paper towels. But a VERY pretty dark golden red.

You should do like we do in CA  

Stomping grapes!   Yeah!  Always wanted to do that!  

Good way to get the legs & glutes in shape, lol!

AtlantaMarie wrote:Good way to get the legs & glutes in shape, lol!

And soften the  corns and callouses.