Spring started this week which gets gardeners excited like kids anticipating Christmas.  Except it is still way too early to start gardening.  Even starting seeds is at most about 6 weeks before planting and we usually can not plant until late May. 

I’ve always thought the astrological seasons were off kilter; even meteorological seasons are too early for those in Zone 3.  Yesterday we received about an inch of snow which is now melting on top of the foot of snowpack left from our winter that started before Thanksgiving (i.e. “fall”). 
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 What can a gardener rely on to determine the proper planting time?  

Late winter and early spring are the time to check out catalogs, place seed orders and start seeds.  Learn more about several seed starting techniques from Sue Reinardy, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in an upcoming webinar.  Sue has volunteered her time to create and deliver this webinar that will feature:  deciphering catalog and seed package jargon, proper planting conditions and several techniques including the winter sown planted method that you can start now.  

This webinar can be attended from any home computer or device with an internet connection, microphone and camera.  Instructions to access the course will be provided a few days before the start of the class.   Registration is required through WITC at courses.witc.edu   Enter "Early Seed Starting" in the search box.   The registration fee is $13.50, and for those 62+ it is $9.00 . ​

 

1. Major accomplishment – put in raised beds and wider paths.  See my July 29 post – Evolution of a Garden
   
   
2. Early Planting – we had a warm spring that allowed one of my earlier planting, most were planted on May 25.  That allowed for an earlier and longer harvest season.
   
   
3. Raspberries – great year for these berries, the third year since planting in a new bed. 
   
   
4. Hollyhocks finally bloomed – see August 20 post – Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) Memories
   
   
5. Dahlias – I was disappointed by the late blooms and short season.  Next year need to find a sunnier spot and maybe get them started inside.
   
   
6. Tomatoes – BLIGHT!  Even though I put them in a new raised bed they were all dried up by mid-August.  Still got a fairly good harvest of tomatoes for the table but they sure looked ugly. 
   
   
7. Cucumbers – it was a fantastic year for cukes, lots of them and a long harvest. Not sure if I can take the credit or Mother Nature supplied just the right amount of warmth and sunshine. 
   
   
8. Green Beans – good year BUT…. Some creature ate the plants right to the ground late in the season.  Do I need to put a fence within my fence?  Still haven’t figured out who is the culprit.
   
   
9. Lettuce, spinach, chard, kale – all did well but we didn’t eat much of what was grown.  I may just replace this whole group for more cut flowers next year. 
   
   
10. Zucchini Failure – also documented in September 9 post – The 2018 Zucchini Failure  I may just give up entirely on zucchini, they are so easy to buy or get from other gardeners.  Why bother?
    
    

Writing these down now gives me a game plan for next year.  The challenge will be to remember where I put these ideas so I can act upon them.  Do you have any successes or failures to share?

This is embarrassing, I’m a failure at growing zucchini.  This most prolific plant that is the subject of jokes and interesting stories.  Like the report in the 2019 Old Farmer’s Almanac: “In Berlin, Germany, a 16-inch, 11-pound zucchini was mistaken for an unexploded World War II bomb.”   And I’m sure you have heard the joke told in many ways but the punch line is always to lock your car so you don’t receive any unexpected gift zucchinis from generous neighbor gardeners.

​Summer squash (aka zucchini ) are often described as a no-fail plant.  “With just a few plants you’ll have enough for friends, neighbors, and friend’s friends”, according to Grocery Gardening by Jean Ann Van Krevelen.  She also advises to keep harvesting or plants will stop producing.  Pick every day and pick when small when they are the most flavorful.  It was the "small" part that caught my attention.  The larger the size the less flavor for zucchinis. I want mine small, in fact much smaller than the ones in the markets (see female flower/fruit in above picture.) 
 
Daniel Stone, author of The Food Explorer, describes David Fairchild’s exploration for new food plants for America at the turn of the last century (1900s).  Fairchild first tasted zucchini in California.  It originated somewhere in Central America and was developed as a food crop in Italy and France.  Nature’s intent was for zucchini to be eaten small, before the blossom falls off; its name is Italian for ‘little squash’ according to Stone.   According to Wikipedia, the fruit is typically harvested as a baby vegetable, approximately finger size, and is referred to as "baby marrows" in South Africa.  That was the size I wanted to try.
 
Anyway, my plan was to grow a few plants in a tub this year to have a ready supply of perfectly sized (before the blossom dropped) fruits to sauté for an evening meal.  I grew exactly two zucchinis and, yes, they were perfect.  But then no more. 
 
Where did I go wrong?  Maybe they don’t like being constricted in a tub, maybe they need more than 6 hours of sun a day (the maximum in my woodland garden), maybe they had too much or too little water?  Lot’s of questions, no answers.
 
Do I try again next year to have a supply of the perfect zucchini?  I have more than six months to ponder whether to use space for this or a less finicky plant. 

​This year one of my gardening goals was to get the potager (a fancy term for my vegetable garden) in better shape.  This garden has slowly evolved from a flower patch around a flag pole to a fenced in garden with raised beds and wide paths.  In this blog pictures will tell the story. 

Here's what I did to clean things up: 

• Removed some perennials to allow for straighter paths and covered the paths with good quality landscape fabric and wood chips for sure footing
• Replaced landscape blocks with wood raised beds that my husband Don was so kind to design and construct
• Removed the plants that were unwanted like creeping jenny, chives, and mints that were invasive

I'm finding the garden much easier to work in, actually a joy to maintain and I can now find my vegetables without wading through the weeds.  

I know it doesn't look like much but the first leaf of the lilac indicates that it is time to plant beets, cole crops (broccoli, kale, cabbage, turnips, etc.), lettuce, and spinach.  This is not just folklore but backed up phenology, the study of the timing of natural events.  Lilacs are most commonly used for observation and to time gardening activity.  I checked the soil temperature in my garden, it is 55-60 degrees.  That is well in the range for these crops.  

Here are some other indicators for planting: 

• Plant peas when forsythia blooms
• Plant potatoes when first dandelion blooms
• plant bean, cucumbers, squash when lilac is in full bloom
• plant tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley blooms
• plant eggplant, melons, peppers when iris blooms

It seems each year there are lessons that nature provides if I’m paying attention and this year was no different.  I gained new knowledge in five areas this year.  

Activities for September

• Fertilize lawn around Labor Day- if you only do it once this is the best time to do it.  Any later in Zone 3 and the grass doesn't have time to  take advantage of the food.  
• Fertilize Astillbes - these perennials are heavy feeders and I give them a little boost this time of year with a light fertilizer, usually 10-10-10 or less. 
• Stop fertilizing - Besides Astillbes, the lawn, and any annuals it is best to stop fertilizing.  Fertilizing would encourage new growth and instead you want the plants to start getting ready for winter by going dormant. 
• Deadhead perennials - this is a good time to deadhead those that are self-seeders that you don't want spreading.  Also be sure to deadhead phlox if you want them to stay true and not cross-fertilize with other types.   I leave the seed heads on most of my perennials as food for the birds during the winter and to create some winter interest.  
• Clean up the garden - the one place that I clear out is the vegetable garden to keep any diseases and pests from overwintering.  I leave my perennials standing during the winter.  One exception is that I cut down any perennials that have had a disease or pest problem.  There have been aphids on my Heliopsis  (common name:  False Sunflower) so those will get cut down to the grounds after they die back this year. 
• Bring in tender plants - for any plants that have spent the summer outside, I start to get them ready to bring inside.  First step is to move them to shadier spots to get them used to the lower inside light.  I then hose them down and treat with an insecticide soap to prevent them from bringing pests into the house.  They are then isolated in the garage for about a week to insure no pests.  
• Use the mower to chop leaves - As leaves begin to drop I use the mower to mulch them right back into the lawn.  Any leaves dropping on the perennial beds are left there until spring (when I use the mower again to mulch them right in the beds.)  For areas where the mower can't do the job, I use a mulching lawn vacuum and then dump the leaves in perennial or shrub beds that could use a bit more.  This minimizes hauling leaves around and puts them to good use right where they land.  
• Order fall planted bulbs - if not already done, this is a good time to order those spring bulbs and roots planted in the fall.  This includes tulips, daffodils, minor spring bulbs, garlic, rhubarb, peonies, lilies, foxtails, and many more.  All these can be planted when the ground temperature reaches 50 degrees or after the first good freeze (usually in October and as late as November.)  

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This story is about an ending, the harvest of garlic.  I’ve waited nine months to extract bulbs from the soil. It’s the middle of August and my garlic is ready to be moved out of the garden to be dried.  The garlic leaves are half green and half brown.  The ground has dried out from the moisture received a few days ago making digging easier.  I’ve received advice from a commercial garlic grower. I am ready to dig.