As summer comes to an end and the cooler temperatures start moving in, let's not forget to give some attention to our edible garden.
There are a few things to tend to at summer's end. It's not as exciting as spring but very appreciated for the health of your garden and to make sure you are ready for next season. Here are some items to consider for tidying up and getting ready for your next edible season.
-Save seeds from your best producers. Seed saving will help your plants adjust to your specific microclimate and have the most abundant harvests. I keep mine in plastic baggies, labelled with the variety, year saved and store in the refrigerator. Add any other helpful information. Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver
-Take cuttings from any of the plants that you want to start indoors for the winter. Basil is an edible that you can easily start from a cutting to have handy for cooking.
-Be sure to treat any of the tropicals you had outdoors for pests before bringing indoors. Since the light will be less indoors, pruning before bringing indoors will help minimize leaves dropping.
-Cut back herbs and dry them to make an herb mix. Harvesting and drying herbs
-Keep harvesting your veggies and fruits as long as they continue to produce. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant will continue to give you fruits until the first hard freeze. If you can't eat them all, preserve them for winter and spring eating! Preserving the extras from the summer garden
-If you haven't already, remove any dead or dying plants from the garden. Any that are diseased should be burned or put into the trash; don't compost these. For the rest and any trimmings, put in the compost pile or bin. Composting is possible in small spaces or even indoors
-Keep your garden weeded. You want to be sure to keep weeds from going to seed otherwise you will have lots of the little buggers to pull next spring! I add weeds to the compost pile as long as they don't have seeds.
-Clean, sharpen and weatherproof your tools. Make a list of tools and supplies that you would like to add to your repertoire for next year's gardening season.
-If you have clay pots, be sure to empty them out or place under cover so they don't freeze and crack. You can either revitalize soil next spring with added compost and fertilizer or can add to the compost pile. Re-energize your potting soil!
-Take a look at your garden journal and make notes of what went well or not so well, what varieties did well in your garden, what you want to plant in next year's garden, how many you want to plant, etc., etc. I always try to put together my plan for next year's garden at summer's end while everything is fresh in mind. I will make additions to it or maybe some switches in what varieties to try, but the bulk remains the same. Reflecting back on the 2021 edible garden, planning for the 2022 garden
Going into fall, look for empty spots in the garden to put winter veggies, like leeks, onions, carrots, cabbage, kale. I get pots going with lettuce and greens that I will keep under my portable greenhouse for fall and winter salads.
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