The Good Earth

– By Chris Cohan –

 The sultry summer humidity left you lounging in air conditioning. You turned your back on the loyal, sincere and patient garden plants. The lazy warmth of late summer has been replaced by the invigorating cool of fall. It's time to get back to The Good Earth.

Fall is a great time for planting. Many garden centers and nurseries still have healthy plants available for planting now. Also, this time of year you should be able to find some good sales to boot. Don't delay, trip on down to a garden center and grab trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs. Plant roots continue to grow until soil temperatures dip below 40 degrees F. Warm days, cool nights and adequate soil moisture are a winning combination for plants. So, depending on weather, you could have a month or so of good growing conditions ahead.

Evergreen material can be planted through October. Deciduous plants, those that lose their leaves, are better planted after leaf drop.

Your lawn mower has been working overtime since early spring. Now is the time to prepare it for storage. Give the lawns one last good cut. Then empty the gasoline, change the oil, install a new spark plug, clean the entire mower, sharpen and oil the blade.  Hmm, now that I think about it: how many of you actually cut your own grass?

Lawn mowing is a great American pastime gone the way of walking to school, wax paper wrapped sandwiches and writing letters in complete sentences. So, if you are yearning for a connection to your past or just looking for exercise with a purpose, move away from that computer and put down that cell phone and e-mail gizmo and go outside and mow that lawn. Remember to recycle the grass clippings back on the turf. No bag needed.

Now is also a good time to clean, sharpen and tighten all hand tools before putting them away for the winter. While you are at it, bring the snow shovels and rock salt and place front and center for ready use. Who can wait for snow shoveling on cold grey mornings … stiff joints, achy backs, pulled muscles, Aleve, more Aleve. Hey, where are my muscular sons?

While you're living with fall, don't forget about spring, the advent of which is announced by blooming bulbs. Now is a good time to start getting your garden ready for fall bulb plantings. Bulbs require well-draining, neutral pH soil like a sandy loam, with at least four hours of good sunlight each day. For clay soil, break up the clay a good foot deeper than the planting depth of the tulip bulbs and amend the bed with sand and peat moss. For sandy soil, add peat moss and aged leaf compost. Bulbs do not like to get wet feet; they will drown and rot.

Speaking of bulbs, don't forget that this is the time to plant garlic and shallot sets.

Make sure that you plant them the specified depth. Always dig a generous-sized hole for the bulbs. Overdig and replace several inches of loose soil in the bottom, remove and rocks or debris, mix in bone meal and gentle place the bulbs down. Backfill with soil. Never pack the soil tightly. If rain is unlikely after planting, you may want to lightly water after fertilizing.

Build or add to your compost pile. I sometimes pick up bags of leaves or grass clippings in the neighborhood and add to my pile. It seems so silly to throw away exactly what your garden and lawn most desires - fertility. Turning the pile is great exercise and you are helping to reduce the need for more landfills. Remember think globally and act locally.

Prepare your gardens for winter. Starting in the vegetable garden remove and compost all healthy plants EXCEPT tomatoes. They will infect all new plants next spring via the compost pile. Then weed and turn over your vegetable garden. Remove any rocks or debris you find. Mix in compost and worms. If you are not planting garlic, onion sets or more Swiss chard, top dress beds with more compost. The compost will provide a winter blanket to the garden, keep moisture in and offer fresh food to the earthworms.

While the season's gardening is still fresh in your mind make notes in a garden journal. Ah, The Good Earth, it puts up with your missives, understands your wanderings and is always there ready with eternal forgiveness to accept you back.