Harvest Time

Prior to the 16th century, the term “harvest” was used to refer to this time of year.  As more and more people moved away from working the land to living in the towns & cities, the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer to the actual act of reaping.

I say lets start this trend again!  Let’s acknowledge that this is the time of year that we benefit from all our hard work over the summer during the HARVEST!!

Here is a quick check list of September’s To Do’s:

-Most fruits should be done or close to done producing fruit at this point so prune cane fruits such as raspberries and blackberries way back.

-As tops die back, harvest potatoes, onions and garlic… some root veggies can stay in the ground til you’re ready to eat them, like carrots.

-Continue to harvest herbs, grasses and flowers for drying.

-Plant fall-blooming bulbs to brighten up fading window boxes, planters and in drifts among ornamental grasses. (Look for next weeks post, all about fall blooming bulbs!)

-Divide peonies, bearded iris and other spring- and summer-blooming perennials.

-Take cuttings of plants that you want to over-winter (see post “propagation nation” a few weeks back for a how-to)

-Start to bring inside tender plants while the windows are still open.  This gradually lets those plants get used to the indoors while winter slowly creeps in.

-Plant winter pansies and fall annuals (calendula, dianthus, ornamental cabbage and kale) once the temperatures start to get chilly at night.

White kale, purple ornamental cabbage and white cyclamen

This winter window box was put together in late October, so don’t rush out quite yet. Enjoy these warm indian summer days while they are here.

Happy Gardening!