Do make a note of our October meeting which will be Thursday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m. We invite you to come and join us in the upstairs meeting room of the Northville Library for a presentation on the life history and ecology of the Eastern Bluebird and other birds that nest in bluebird boxes. John Rogers is a recognized expert on the subject of bluebirds and his program on the natural history and nest box management of bluebirds will thrill you. He’s helped fledge over 11,000 bluebirds from over 250 nest boxes ranging over 50 miles of territory and as you will see he is passionate about his subject.
As we come into Fall this is a good time to plant many trees and shrubs. Prepare a good size hole and plant the new plant at the same depth it was growing in the nursery. Water the hole before you plant. You don’t need to amend the soil because you want the plant to stretch out its roots into the existing soil. If you make a nice rich soil mixture in the planting hole those roots are going to want to stay where they are. Make sure to tamp the soil down firmly so the plant doesn’t settle to a lower depth. Water the plant in and then go back tomorrow and water it again. Some plants such as Filipendula, penstemon, dianthus and gallardia really hate to have their crowns wet and can rot over the winter so raise those plants up a little and mix in some sand or gravel to ensure very good drainage. Wait until October when the soil has cooled and then lay down a mulch of leaves or hay for winter protection. The idea of the mulch is to keep the soil cool and prevent the heaving and thawing that happens as the soil warms up and then cools down again.
When the outside temperatures hover around 40 degrees F dig up your dahlias, gladioli, cannas and calla lilies. Cut off the foliage, let them dry for a day or so and pack them in peat moss or perlite in a cool place for the winter.
If you have had houseplants spending their summers outside, now is the time to bring them in. Take them to the shower and rinse them thoroughly to get rid of any insects that might have been using your plants as their summer camp and put your plants in bright windowsills. You will probably get some leaf drop as plants adjust to the lower light levels inside the house and also the lower humidity. If you fertilize now, change to a half strength fertilizer and stop feeding all together by October as most plants need the rest period as the days get shorter and our heating systems come on.
In the veggie garden, thin out your plantings of radish, carrots and lettuce. Watch for aphids and caterpillars on your broccoli and cauliflower, these you can treat with BT. Cover your frost sensitive plants if cold weather threatens; we often get two or three weeks of nice weather after the first frost. You can ripen green tomatoes by wrapping them in newspaper and leaving them in a dark place. Harvest your winter squash when the skins are hard and they have a deep overall color. Cut them so you have an inch or so of stem showing. If you take the stem off completely it leaves a soft opening for bacteria to come in and spoil all your growing efforts. As you get bare spots in your veggie garden from harvesting or clean up, put down a two inch mulch of leaves, grass clippings or any other organic matter. The worms and bacteria will work on it through the Fall and come spring it won’t be fully decomposed but you can plant right through it.
And lastly – bulbs. Still time to plant. Just think that a little effort now will repay you with gorgeous spring color. Buy some hyacinths and put them in a cool place for three months or so and then plant them up for indoor bloom. I do this every year and come January and February it is so nice to have those hyacinth in bloom and filling my house with that glorious fragrance.
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