September 2024 Edible Garden Planner

Harvest from September garden

Saturday, August 31, 2024

End of summer is a great time to tidy garden beds, harvest herbs, plant for fall and winter harvests, and add new perennials.  As the days get shorter, growth slows and before long the sun cannot support all the greenery from summer.  Plants, trees and bushes will drop leaves, but peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, greens, herbs, okra, pole beans, squash and cucumbers will keep producing through frost.  Keep the fruits picked to keep them producing.  Beginning of September is an ideal time to sow seeds of cool weather greens for fall and early winter harvests.  

Harvesting Herbs

This is the perfect time to harvest your herbs.  You can cut them back so they remain lush, improving the tidiness of your garden, and providing herbs for the winter ahead.  Cutting them back will help the plants build stronger root systems.  Trimming also encourages new growth.  You just don't want to prune perennial herbs too close to frost as new growth makes the plant less hardy. 

Harvesting and drying herbs

I dry my herbs to preserve them.  I cut the plant back by about two thirds and put the stems loosely in a paper bag in a dry, warm area out of the sun and let dry naturally.  Loose is the key here so they get good air circulation and do not mold.  They should be completely dry in about 3-4 weeks.  I like putting them in clothes closets to dry as they release such great fragrance, repels moths and the darkness helps keep the flavor in the herb. 

Once dried, remove the leaves from woody herbs and store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.  With a soft herb like chives, you can just crumble into the airtight container.  I use wide mouth canning jars for herb storage or freezer bags kept in a dark location.  

For more ideas on herbs, Make your own "Herbes de Provence", Use herbs for signature desserts and grown up beverages, Quick tip on fresh flavor herb preservation and herbal butters, Homemade salad dressing recipes with garden herbs, and Make your own teas from garden grown herbs

Basil is one that loses most of its flavor when dried.  You can cut back basil a few times each growing season for harvesting and preserving.  My favorite way to preserve basil is to make pesto and freeze it.  It tastes just like freshly made pesto.  Be sure to remove all leaves or bring plants indoors when they are calling for frost.  Basil is very frost intolerant and its leaves will turn black when touched with frost.

Time to harvest basil 

 If the winter is not colder than usual in our zone, most perennial herbs like chives, oregano, sage, savory and thyme can be harvested year round straight from the garden.  If it is a harsh winter, the tops of these perennials will die to the ground, but re-sprout in the spring.

Winter squash from the September garden

Fall planting guide for cool season crops

September is prime time to plant more greens, beets, cole crops, carrots and radishes. 

What to plant in the September edible garden 

October is the month to plant garlic for next year's harvest.  Buy your garlic now if you haven't already because the most popular varieties sell out early!  I replant the biggest cloves from this year's harvest.  I use both regular garlic and elephant garlic in the garden.  I like elephant garlic because it produces huge cloves.  Hardneck garlic has larger cloves than soft neck and is easier to peel.  The advantage of soft neck garlic is that it stores longer.  I gave up on doing winter storage of whole cloves and went to pickling the extras.  Pickled garlic lasts for years in the frig.  

 Time to plant garlic! With growing tips......  

Quick tip-”peeling” garlic

Have garlic any time you need it, just pickle some!

You can pick up transplants like broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, kale, as well as herbs at some nurseries since gardening has become so popular.  You can also buy them on line or grow from seed.  Everything that loves spring also thrive in fall into early winter and some all the way to spring.  

Broccoli and cauliflower growing tips

Everything you need to know about growing lettuce

Collards and kale in your garden

Midwest Perennial Vegetable Garden

Lettuce is my favorite for fall.  Plant a variety daily the first two weeks of September so that they are mature by the end of October.  Pick varieties that are cold tolerant with descriptions like "winter hardy", "cold tolerant", etc.  Time to plant lettuce seed for fall, winter salads

For more on fall planting,  Time to set out transplants for fall, winter, & spring harvests

Caring for your new seeds and transplants

Like in the spring, newly sown seeds need moisture to sprout.  Keep seeds and transplants moist until they get their first real set of leaves and are well established.  Then water as needed.  Outdoor seed starting tips

Many crops you can harvest into December and beyond, depending on how cold fall is.  Some get sweeter with some frost, like carrots, chard, and lettuce.  With cover, you can harvest all the way through winter!  
Extend the season with protection for plants

Transplants for winter and overwintering

What’s growing in the late February garden

Homegrown, organic salads in a Midwest winter

You can garden year round in small space

Prepare for hard freeze

Caring for the Summer Vegetables

Many of the summer veggies will continue producing until the first killing frost.  I continue to fertilize the beginning of September and October to keep the plants healthy while they are producing.  We are getting less and less daylight now so it is expected that the plants will drop lower leaves and have slower growth. Cucumbers, summer squash, peppers, eggplants, okra, snap beans and tomatoes all keep producing in our garden well into November.  

Greens in the garden are getting a second life as the temperatures cool and consistent moisture returns.  I need to get my lettuce seeds started.  We've had a real heat wave the last couple of weeks.  Lettuce seed will not sprout if soil temperatures are above 75F.  I will sow lettuce and add spinach to the mix as temperatures are forecasted to be lower next week.  I'll transplant the seedlings into pots that I keep under the portable greenhouse for the winter to keep salads all winter long. 

A quick reminder, save the seeds from your best performers to plant next year!  You can replant seeds from any heirlooms or open pollinated plants and they will be like their parent; hybrids likely will not.  Not only does it save you money, but it also gives you the plants that do the best under your garden and zone conditions.  Be sure to save seed only from disease free plants.  Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver  

Time to harvest winter squash

Spaghetti squash sitting on Hummingbird vine

Saturday, August 24, 2024

It is winter squash picking time!  Most winter squash, like pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash are ready to be harvested after the vine completely dies in late summer or fall.  Be sure to harvest your fruits before it gets too cold.  A frost or two is the max cold to leave them out in.  Definitely don't let them  sit through a freeze.

Squash originated in Mexico.  There are cave drawings from 8000 to 6500 BC depicting squash. Squash was grown extensively by Native Americans as part of the “Three Sisters”-squash, corn and beans.  Winter squash is chock full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber  Winter squash-one of the world's healthiest foods

Winter squash are those that take until late summer into fall to ripen and can be stored inside for months.  They include butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, Hubbards, turbans and pumpkins.  Each vine does not produce many fruits.  We typically get 3 butternut or spaghetti squash off each of our vines, which is a decent yield.

Butternut squash

Winter squash is left on the vine until the vine dies and the fruit loses its sheen.

You should be able to poke the squash with your fingernail and it should just dent it, not puncture the skin.  Be sure to leave 2-4” of stem attached when you harvest.  Place in a warm, sunny place to allow the skin to toughen.  Then, store in a cool, dark location until ready to eat.

One exception to this harvesting rule is the spaghetti squash.  You pick the fruits when they turn a dark yellow color.  You can check if they are ready the same as above, making sure the skin is tough.  

A unique squash I grow is Trombetti.  Picked when the skin is soft, I use it like zucchini.  If I leave it on the vine, the skin turns yellow and hardens.  It stores for months on the counter and can be used like a winter squash.  

There are some amazingly diverse and cool winter squashes/pumpkins, from the bumpy and blue hubbards, to traditional pear shaped butternut to the exotic "turban" squash, so named because of the hat it appears to be wearing............  

Depending on the variety of winter squash, it can store well for months.   Butternut and spaghetti squash are long lasting, common winter squash.   I have eaten butternut squash and Trometta squash into June the following year!
Warm joys of winter squash 

Acorn squash sitting in the window sill to toughen the skin

If you decide you want to grow winter squash next year, here are some tips.

Since it originated in a temperate zone, winter squash requires a long growing season.  It is best to start them indoors in the spring. Squash love organic matter and warm temperatures.  If you throw a few seeds in your compost pile, you will be rewarded with exuberant vines.

Plant when nighttime temps are 55F or warmer.  Add a fertilizer rich in phosphorous a week after transplanting, when flowers first appear and again when fruits begin to form.  They love water, too.  If growing in a pot, keep well watered and don’t let dry out.  Summer garden tips

Don’t panic when the first blooms fall off without producing any fruits.  There are male and female flowers.  If yours falls off, it was likely a poor guy that withered without the love a gal.  There can also be some false starts with malformed fruits.  Don’t worry, the plant will put on more blooms and fruits.   For more,
 Everything you need to know to grow squash

What's happening in the mid August edible garden

Garden in the morning

Sunday, August 18, 2024

August usually sees the full repertoire of the summer garden harvests.  Late sweet corn (plant corn in succession and different varieties to lengthen the harvest), summer squashes (like zucchini), peppers of all types (sweet to hot, hot), tomatoes, Mediterranean herbs, cucumbers, okra, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, beans, melons, figs, eggplant, honey, artichokes, raspberries, onion, winter squash and fennel are all in season in the Midwest.  

This year for warm season veggies, I am harvesting winter and summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, greens, sprouting broccoli, Egyptian walking onions, eggplant, cucumbers, goji berry, basil, melons, strawberries, husk cherries, lettuce, Red Malabar spinach, New Zealand spinach, purple tomatillos, and herbs.

My butternut squash vine produced 8 squashes; 1 got ate on and then rotted.  The other 7 I have hardening on the covered patio.  I got one Jarrahdale pumpkin from the two vines I planted.  I have it hardening on the covered patio, too, with the garlic and shallots.  You can harvest winter squashes when the vine dies back and the stem turns brown.  

I did not plant a second round of cucumbers so my cucumber vine is looking sad and not producing as often.  I have gotten all the cucumbers I need for pickles so it is fine for production to be slow now.  Make pickle relish  Quick tip-make homemade pickles with extra cucumbers   For zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers, it is a good idea to replant at the beginning of July to keep the harvest going as they are susceptible to disease.  I have been growing Trombetta summer squash the last few years and it seems resistant to our pests and diseases and produces through fall.  I did replant an Early White Scallop summer squash plant.  The 2 earlier ones were killed by squash bugs; they love all types of squash.  The Trombetta just keeps extending its vine and rooting as it goes so if any of the plant is killed, the new vine just keeps producing.

Growing zucchini and summer squash

What to do with all that zucchini?!  

I did plant a second round of tomatoes last month and I have volunteers that have many tomatoes on them.  At the beginning of the month, I planted the extra Brandywines I had in large pots.  They are loaded with fruits that should be ripening soon.  In the middle of the month, I bought some sad looking Celebrity tomatoes that were on clearance and planted them in the garden bed where my others died.  Celebrity is supposed to be very disease resistant so I am putting them to the test!  So far, they are growing slowly but look healthy.  Probably be at least another month before they are producing as their days to harvest from sprouting is 70-75 days.  They'll continue to produce until the first hard freeze if you keep them fertilized, watered and treated for disease.

We are in a drought right now and the mama deer are weaning their babies.  They are starting to forage in my garden even with deer repellant.  The deer repellant works 90% of the time if you keep it refreshed, but sometime if the deer are really hungry, they will still get in your garden unless you have it fenced.  So far, they have only eaten the leaves off my bean vines and my flame celosias.

We grow many edibles in pots because our edibles are integrated into the flower beds.  In pots, we have had great luck with Egyptian walking onions (which can be harvested year round), peppers, eggplant, bush zucchini, bush cucumber, dwarf tomatoes, greens, fig tree, columnar apple trees, dwarf moringa tree, kumquat tree, sweet bay, mint, goji berry, raspberry, lettuce and celery. 

Spaghetti squash sitting on hummingbird vine

I have tried sweet and hot peppers in pots and the garden.  Overall, they seem to do the best in pots.  I am growing a few hot peppers-a pequin type Chiltepin, cayenne, and Anaheim.  I use the tiny peppers in my season salt I make, the cayenne for hot sauce, and Anaheim for chili powder.

Preserving peppers

My sweet peppers have had a slow start this year.  I  have many green peppers on my snacking pepper plant and have been harvesting the Jigsaw, Anaheim and Chiltepin peppers for close to a month now.  I am getting ready to do my second round of drying the Anaheims for chili powder today.  The hot and sweet peppers I slice and put in freezer bags.  

Peppers are for every taste and garden

Weekly watering for plants in the ground is sufficient with monthly fertilizing.  A pot with a water reservoir in the bottom is the best solution for lengthening the time between waterings when growing in pots.  Otherwise, plan on watering your pots every 2-3 days and fertilize every other week.  Summer garden tips

I grow all of our herbs in the ground except sweet bay.  Sweet bay is a tender perennial and will not survive winters outside so I keep it in a pot to bring in each fall.    I had one a couple of years ago that was supposed to be hardy in our zone and it didn’t make it.  I put my new ones in pots and they have overwintered well in our unheated garage for the last two winters.  Fall is a good time to plant perennial herbs, veggies, fruits and flowers.

Midwest Perennial Vegetable Garden

Harvest and preserve your herbs

Make your own "Herbes de Provence"

Flowers are doing great right now in the garden.  They are covered in beneficial insects, butterflies, butterfly caterpillars and the occasional hummingbird.  The zinnias, marigolds, petunias, Hummingbird vine, and Cock's Comb are putting on a big show.  The zinnias, marigolds and Cock's Comb are also edible.  Flowers that are edible

Red zinnia

If you are not growing summer veggies in your own garden, your local farmers market is a great place to pick up these seasonal veggies to either eat or preserve.  The best buy on any fruit or vegetable is when it is in season.  It's also when they are the most nutritious.  You can get even better deals on any produce that has a few blemishes which have no effect on the flavor.  If you are going to can, freeze or dry them, just be sure to remove any blemishes first.

 Veggies that are easy to preserve the extras for winter eating

A quick reminder, save the seeds from your best performers that have been disease free to plant next year.  You can replant seeds from any heirlooms or open pollinated plants.  What do the terms GMO, natural, heirloom, organic, hybrid really mean?  Not only does it save you money, but it also gives you the plants that do the best under your garden and zone conditions.  Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver 

 

Make pickle relish

Freshly canned pickle relish

Saturday, August 17, 2024

My bush cucumber plant looks like it may be done producing this season.  I found a new way to preserve them that is fairly quick and easy with no pressure canner needed-just make some pickle relish!

I have been making an egg salad with either tuna or salmon this summer to use the eggs from our hens.  I liked the crunch from relish.  After I used up what I had in the pantry, I decided to see how hard it was to make relish.  The sweet pickle relish was a multi-day effort.  Pickled relish on the other hand was very similar to making pickles which is pretty quick and easy.

The recipe I found on line recommended using a food processor, carefully, to get the cucumbers into relish sized bits.  I tried hard to minimize the processing but ended up with big hunks and close to mush.  The second time around, I went the old-fashioned route and used a knife to dice the cucumbers.

How to make pickle relish

  1.  Get your canning jars, lids and rings.  I chose the pint size since one pint of relish lasts me a few weeks.  You can go smaller or larger, depending on how quickly you will use the relish.  I use Tattler (BPA free plastic lid) or glass lids.  The vinegar in the relish eats at metal lids.  Easy, low tox canning of summer's bounty

2.  To let the pickled relish taste shine through, the recipe calls for white vinegar.  You can use apple cider vinegar.  Any neutral tasting vinegar will work as long as it is at lease 5% strength.  Make your own apple cider vinegar

3.  Here are the ingredients.  Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste.

8 pounds of cucumbers (peeled or with skin) finely diced

1/2 cup pickling or canning salt (finely ground salt with no additives)

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 medium onions, finely diced

2 tablespoons dill seed

1 tablespoon mustard seed

4 bay leaves

4 cups white vinegar (can use any vinegar with 5% strength or higher)

4.  Wash, peel and dice your cucumbers, place in large bowl, add salt and turmeric, cover with water  and let mix soak for 2-3 hours.  Drain in colander or fine meshed sieve and rinse well.

5.  Add cucumbers, chopped onions, seasonings and vinegar to large stock pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

6.  Remove bay leaves and fill hot pint jar with mixture, leaving 1/2" head space, making sure all bubbles are removed.  Screw on hot lid and place in pressure cooker or pot large enough that pint jars are covered with at least 1" of water.

7.  Bring canner/large stock pot to a boil, process for 15 minutes.  Wait 5 minutes before removing.

8.  Remove jars straight up from pot; do not tilt.  Allow jars to fully cool for a full 24 hours.

9.  Gently remove ring and test seal by lifting jar by seal, while supporting jar with other hand.  If seal holds, relish can safely be stored in the pantry.  If seal does not hold, relish should be placed in the refrigerator.

If you like a "warmer" spice mix, substitute the mustard seed and 4 bay leaves is 2 cloves, 1 teaspoon of dry garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of caraway seeds, 1/4 teaspoon of peppercorns, 1 bay leave and 1 cardamon seed pod.  Put the cloves, caraway seeds, peppercorns and seed pod in a muslim bag to make them easy to remove after cooking along with the bay leave.

For spices, get creative with what you enjoy!  

The vinegar and processing per the instructions are critical for food safety.  The acidity must be high enough to use the boiling water method.  For low acid foods, pressure canning is required for food safety.  For more detailed instructions on canning, Sites & resources for canning.  For options on the jars, see my blog Easy, low tox canning of summer's bounty

What to plant in the August edible garden

Fall garden

Saturday, August 10, 2024 

August is a great time to begin planting for fall and winter harvests.  Get the most out of your edible garden by using all the seasons for fresh, homegrown goodness!

You can garden year round in small space
A fall edible garden
The winter edible garden

Here are the crops you can start in the August Midwest edible garden:

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts
Bush beans

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower
Celery

Collards
Corn salad
Endive

Fava beans (broad beans)

Kale

Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mustard

Onions

Peas

Radish

Scallions

Snow peas
Spinach
Strawberry runners

Swiss chard

Turnips

Early August is last call for zucchini and summer squash planting!

November edible garden

Look for cold hardy varieties when planting for fall and winter harvests.  You may be surprised that you can harvest all through the winter months things like greens, onions, Austrian peas, carrots, herbs and cabbage.  You can also extend the fall and winter harvest by looking for the same crop with different days to harvest timing so that they mature at different times.  Finally, you can use cover to possibly extend the harvest all the way to next spring.  Extend the season with protection for plants

When planting in the hot months, be sure to keep the soil moist until the plants are well established.  Summer and fall planted crops take longer to come to harvest than they do in the spring.  Rule of thumb is to add 2 weeks.  It's because the days are getting shorter rather than longer.  

A great and easy way to start your fall garden is to sow the seeds in a pot on a covered deck or patio.  This makes it easy to keep an eye on the seedlings and protects them from the harsh hot summer sun.  After they have a couple of sets of their true leaves, you can transplant into the garden bed.  Harden them off first by moving the pot to full sun before transplanting.  "Hardening off" seedlings  After transplanting into the garden, keep them watered regularly during hot, dry weather until well established.

You can get fall vegetable transplants on line and at some local nurseries so you don't even have to start seeds to get a fall garden and harvest.  I let my spring greens go to seed.  This time of year there are many volunteers sprouting.  I dig and move them to where I want them for the fall and winter.  For lettuces, I put in the pots that I will cover with a portable greenhouse so I get salads until next spring.  Winter hardy greens like kale, herbs like thyme and onions will survive without cover.  Winter edible garden

For more summer seed starting tips Outdoor seed starting tips

Use a stock pot to can

Victory gardens were encouraged in WW2

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Canning is a great way to preserve your own harvest.  After canning, you can just store at room temperature so if you are short on freezer space, it is great option.  I do only water bath canning for my veggies, which just requires canning jars and a big pot; no pressure canner needed.  

When you can your own food, you know that you are putting the peak of freshness and nutrition in every jar.  Plus, it is a great money saver.  The jars can be re-used year after year and you likely have all the other kitchen tools you need to can in your kitchen.

When canning acidic foods like fruit or tomatoes or anything using vinegar or sugar, you can likely use only a water bath.  When you can, you have to follow the recipe exactly to make sure it is safe to eat.  Canning of low acid foods like green beans require a pressure canner to achieve high enough temperatures to kill off the bacteria that cause botulism.  For low acid foods, I freeze or dry the extras.

I stick with canning extra tomatoes, pickled garlic, hot sauce and pickles as all are high acid and only need a water bath to make them safe for long term storage.  Tomatoes are naturally acidic and some lemon juice is added to make sure it is acidic enough for water bath canning.  As a rule of thumb anything canned in vinegar or lots of sugar will be acidic enough to not require a pressure canner.  Stick to the recipe exactly to make sure your canned goods remain safe to eat.  If you do that, you can have lots of canned goods to eat year round.

Homemade tomato sauce in Weck's canning jars

Here are links to the blogs covering each of the produce that I can:

Time to make homemade tomato sauce!

Have garlic any time you need it, just pickle some!

Quick tip-make your own hot sauce

Quick tip-make homemade pickles with extra cucumbers

Here are some web pages and resources to use:

Mother Earth News canning tips

Mother Earth News “How to Can” app

National center for home food preservation  http://nchfp.uga.edu 

Ball Home Canning  www.homecanning.com 

“Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” book

“The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving” book

Many of the lids in today's canning jars contain a chemical film to protect the metal lid from corrosion.  BPA was used for years but name brands eliminated it in 2013 due to its health concerns.  In 2012, BPA was removed from baby bottles after banned by the FDA, but is still found in many products including conventionally canned foods.  Even those that advertise BPA free can contain other substances that are just as harmful.  I just try to have no chemicals in my food.

Old fashioned canning jars, 1946 canning pamphlet, Weck's glass canning jar

My favorite chemical free canning jars are these beautiful glass jar with glass lid made in Germany-Weck’s (it is the second from the right in the pic).  The only thing that comes into contact with your food is glass. 

The Weck’s work great.  Easy to use, easy to know that the seal is good, and beautiful to look at.  I highly recommend them.  Since I started using these glass jars, I have seen other European makers of all glass jars and lids available, like Terrina Ermetico and Bormioli Rocco.  The jars and lids last forever.  The only downside is the initial investment. 

There is also a plastic lid that is BPA free that can be used with modern jars made by Tattler, made in the USA since 1976.  They are a seamless replacement for the metal lids with today's canning jars.  If you already have Mason jars, these are an inexpensive way to convert them to BPA free.

I also use glass canning lids and rings from the 1940's.  You can use them with your standard glass canning jar.  Since the glass lid is thicker than a metal lid, you have to use taller rings, too, that were made to go with them.  I also ended up having to buy antique rubber seals to get the right fit.  The concept is the same as the Weck's with only glass coming into contact with your food but let me use all of the jars I already had.  

Depending on which jar and lid system you use, processing is slightly different to get a secure seal.  Be sure to read the instructions that were designed for the jar system you are using for prepping and cooling of the jars after processing.  When I use Tattler rings, I follow those instructions.  When I use the antique lids, I follow the instructions in my 1946 canning pamphlet.  Weck's, I use their instructions for prepping and cooling of the jars after processing.

There is little other equipment you need to get canning.  All you really need when canning high acid foods is a tall stock pot with lid, tongs, a stainless steel spoon, a towel to put the hot jars on, a cutting board to stage the hot jars, and your canning jars.  You can just use what you have or you can purchase a canning kit in stores or on line.  

Happy canning!

August 2024 Edible Garden Planner

August edible garden

Saturday August 3, 2024

August brings harvests of some of the favorites of the edible garden.  Sweet corn, tomatoes, summer squashes (like zucchini and yellow straight neck), peppers of all types (sweet and hot), Mediterranean herbs, cucumbers, okra, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, snap beans, melons, figs, eggplant, honey, artichokes, tomatillos are all in season this month.

At the same time, it is also the month to plant for fall and winter harvests.  It can be hard to make room for new seedlings, but your pantry will thank you in the cool days of fall that are coming.

A secret to maximizing your fruiting vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, snap beans, tomatillos, and summer squash is to harvest them continuously.  A plant’s driving force is to reproduce so by continuing to harvest, it causes the plant to put on more fruits.  There are many options to preserve the extras: Freezing the extras for winter, drying Dehydrate or sun dry your extra veggies, canning Easy, low tox canning of summer's bounty, and pickling Make your own pickles without a store bought seasoning mix.

We have many deer, raccoons, birds and squirrels in our yard; deer bed down in our yard at night.  To keep the critters from snacking on ripe tomatoes on the vine, I harvest them as they are turning red and let them finish ripening on the counter overnight.  Still taste great being picked so close to peak ripeness.

Quick tip-how I keep the deer away

Continue to fertilize with a natural, organic fertilizer every month for veggies in the ground and semiweekly for those in containers.  When fertilizing, scratch the fertilizer into the soil around the plant.  Nitrogen is the one component of fertilizing that is most used during the season.  If you leave the fertilizer on top of the ground, you will need twice as much as the nitrogen will off gas into the atmosphere if not covered.  Summer garden tips

Keeping consistent moisture to your plants is key.  Irregular watering causes tomatoes to crack and blossom end rot to occur.  Make sure your garden is getting 1 inch of water weekly either from rain or watering, being sure to water deeply at the base of the plant and not on the leaves.  Many warm weather lovers like squash, tomatoes and cucumbers are susceptible to fungal diseases.  If your garden is susceptible to fungal diseases, you can continue using a natural preventative fungicide spray weekly to keep it at bay and boost your garden's production.

You can also start a second round of tomatoes and squash in July to have strong production from end of August through frost if you find your production is dropping off this time of year and you are keeping up with watering and fertilizing.  I have been trying different summer squash too, looking for one that keeps right on producing for the entire season.  Trombetta has done great in my garden for the last 4 years.  The production is steady, too, so you don't have zucchinis over running your counter.  The only potential drawback is that the vine is a rambler.  It grows to around 20' long in my garden.  You can have it grow between other plants.  Just be sure to get it moving in the direction you want it to grow while it is small.

Summer peppers and tomatoes

If you had any lettuce from an earlier planting, they will have bolted by now.  Take the flower heads off and save the seed.  You can shake the seeds into your self watering pots to get your fall lettuce growing.  Lettuce will not sprout if the soil temperature is above 75 degrees F.  You can start your seeds indoors or in a cool, shady spot in the garden and then move to its permanent spot.  The first seeds I sow are ones that are four season types.  As I succession plant my lettuce every 2-3 weeks, I will switch over to winter hardy varieties next month. 

Never ending salad from one packet of seeds

Planting for fall and winter vegetables

I know it sounds crazy, but now is the time to start planting for fall and winter harvests.  You need to plant early enough for your veggies to be full size when frosts hit.  Add 14 days to the days to maturity listed on the seed packet and back it up from your last frost date for the time to plant your seeds. 

What to plant in the August edible garden

A fall edible garden

Winter edible garden

Frost date look up

Daylight hours determine the growth rate of plants.  Since the days are getting shorter, it will take longer for the plants to come to full maturity in the waning daylight hours of fall than the lengthening hours of spring and with the cooling temperatures coming next month.  By the first of November, almost all growth has come to a full standstill until the beginning of January when daylight hours are back to 10+ hours per day.  

If you can't pick up transplants like broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, kale, and herbs at big box stores or a local nursery, you can get transplants from on-line nurseries if you want to go that route.  Farmers markets may also have them.  

I have started doing more from seed.  I re-use 6 pack containers, peat pots or a rectangular self-watering pot, put starting mix in them, water well, then add seeds, covering with soil per packet instructions.  I just leave them on our covered deck so that I can keep them moist.  Seeds sprout super fast this time of year.  The other advantage for outdoor seed starting is that they are already acclimated to the summer temps so do well when transplanted.  

Outdoor seed starting tips

Fall planting guide for cool season crops

August is the month for starting greens (arugula, corn salad, lettuce, miner’s lettuce, spinach, mustard, endive, chard, lettuce), kohlrabi, onions, scallions, cabbage plants, radishes, peas, fava beans and turnips. 

What to plant in the August edible garden

In September, plant more greens, carrots, and radishes.  For our Zone 7a garden, the first 2 weeks of September are prime for planting lettuce.  Try sowing different cold hardy varieties at the same time.  Different varieties mature at different times, giving you an on-going harvest. 

 Grow lettuce through fall and winter

What to plant in the September edible garden

October is the month to plant garlic for next year’s harvest.  Be sure to order now before they sell out!  Time to plant garlic! With growing tips......

What to plant in the October edible garden

For more details on varieties to plant, Cold season crops for your edible garden

Caring for your new seeds and transplants

Like in the spring, newly sown seeds need moisture to sprout.  Keep seeds and transplants moist but not wet until they get their first real set of leaves and are well established.  Then water as needed.  

Many crops can be harvested into December and beyond without any cover, depending on how cold fall is.  Some get sweeter with some frost, like carrots, chard, and lettuce.  With cover, you can harvest all the way through winter and get a jump start on spring!

Below is the portable greenhouse I use.  I can get 10 large pots under its cover.  Portable greenhouse covers like this could also be placed directly in the garden as well.  I use it to extend the fall and winter harvest for potted greens, broccoli and cabbage.   Prepare for hard freeze 

My portable greenhouse

A quick reminder, save the seeds from your best performers to plant next year!  You can replant seeds from any heirlooms or open pollinated plants.  Not only does it save you money, but it also gives you the plants that do the best under your garden and zone conditions.  

Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver