| Welcome to the mid-autumn edition! Acorns are dropping so we’ve reached a new season according to phenology: mid-autumn! See some of our last harvests and it’s time for planting/harvesting some of the last items before winter! Enjoy, Amy | Table of Contents: ~ The Garden: Blooms & Harvests ~ The Plan: Nature’s Garden Guide ~ The Blog: Upcoming Editions |
The Garden: Blooms & Harvests
I ordered a pound of Crimson Clover seed to put into all the buckets of dirt from Shane’s bucket garden this summer. This was way more than needed so some may have been tossed into the yard!
The end of September the hardneck and softneck garlic varieties are due to arrive as well. I plan to share my purchase with a neighbor as I don’t think Shane wants ALL his buckets taken over by garlic! Not that I would mind!
We had some major rain roll through Labor Day weekend and harvested tomatoes with ANY blush to them so they wouldn’t split. Grabbed a Bell Pepper with some blush as well. Didn’t need to water for a few days so that was nice! We’ve continued to get off and on days of rain so the remaining tomatoes have taken some hits and split!
We made the mistake of using fermented scratch grains in the bird tree and of course it all sprouted in every nook and cranny it could find! I started pulling it but it just got overwhelming. I left a few sunflowers and one actually bloomed in the Geranium basket! So pretty, but we need to do something different next time!
I heard a rumor that you can plant Sweet Peas in the fall for better plants/flowers in the spring! How many of you have tried this? Does it work? They aren’t in the phenology garden guide yet as it would be too early to try it, but I HAVE QUESTIONS!
The Plan: Nature’s Garden Guide
I switched to using phenology to plan my garden, so I created a practical planting guide to help you do the same! Instead of following a rigid calendar, phenology means watching local indicator plants to know exactly when the soil is ready for your crops and when it’s time to harvest.
What to look for:
– Heavy acorn and nut drop from Oaks, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, etc.
Harvest immediately as they become ready:
– Swiss Chard
– Beets
– Fennel
– Winter Squash like Pumpkins (start checking the woodiness of your squash stems)
– Figs (late crop)
– Pawpaws
– Asian Pears
– European Pears
– Apples & Crabapples
– Hazelnuts
– Walnuts
Note: Swiss Chard and Beets are winter garden stalwarts that you can harvest lightly throughout the cold months.
Plant these now for next summer’s harvest and spring color:
– Garlic
– Shallots
– Alliums
– Crocus
– Daffodil
– Muscari
If you grow any of your crops in containers or bucket gardens, expect your phenological timeline to move faster than what is happening in the ground. Because containers are exposed to the ambient summer air on all sides, their soil temperatures are significantly elevated compared to the earth. Whether it is root development, leafy green production, or warm-season fruiting, expect bucket-grown crops to hit their harvest triggers up to two weeks earlier than their in-ground counterparts!
Make sure you pay attention to what nature is doing, it may sometimes seem early/late to start some tasks, but trust that nature knows exactly what it’s doing! Just because I am here in Molalla, OR, doesn’t mean you can’t use the same phenology in your own yard! The concepts work anywhere, though the exact timing will shift—for example, higher elevations or colder regions may take longer for some plants to bloom or set fruit. If you don’t have some of the indicator plants mentioned, check with your local Master Gardeners or college Extension Service!
Ready to garden by nature’s clock?
The Blog: Upcoming Editions
The next Horticulture & Harvests will be out in late Autumn (when the oak & maple leaves change color) where we’ll discuss final harvests and pre-winter garden tasks!
We’ll see you all again in late September for our next Hair Sheep & Hens blog post, where we will discuss the end of breeding season!
The next series of Hedge & Hollow blog posts will continue to drop every Monday, as nature is always changing and woods walks have something to share!
Here are the links to the latest blog post in case you’ve missed it:
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~ Thank You! ~
