eGarden © 2005 Ed Mues

From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on September 7, 2005

Labor Day: A Misnomer, or a Day for R & R ?

As a teaser, I've come across a wonderful poem published in January 1957 Nature Magazine. Researching the poet, I found he was more involved in science fiction after this period. But, I thought this poem so worthwhile, I pass it on. Especially since I am providing a to-do list. No peeking. Wait 'til the end.

The month of September is significant in a variety of ways. School begins, the "official" summer closes along with the swimming pools and beaches. The Labor Day weekend is kind of the last hurrah of the season of carefree days, rest and recreation. Even though there are still many days and even weeks in which to indulge oneself. It was not intended thus, but an homage to work will endure after the weekend is over. We all know the toils that lay ahead. And, after such a droughty summer, extra care is probably going to be a great benefit.

Flowers a plenty and veggies, too, will continue to produce under the veiled threat of the coming "cold snap", aka hard frost, hopefully several weeks away, but, as history tells us, inevitable. Labor Day. The signal words bring a sweat to the brow. Not just wood to cut, split and gather for the coming winter. More mundane tasks for the home gardener and plant lover remain to be tackled and buttoned up from now through the coming fall season. And fall is glorious and most enjoyable when these accepted responsibilities are taken care of in a timely manner. We all want to be ahead of the curve when the freezes arrive. And arrive they will.

Some suggested activities follow. All are good horticultural practices intended to keep us on track at this time of the year. It has been some time since I put forth such an agenda.

If you, like many folks, relish a green, healthy lawn, now is the best time to apply fertilizer, as well as lime to raise the pH to between 6 and 6.5, or sulfur to lower the pH to the same most favorable level. If your lawn needs de-thatching, now is the best time of the year to do that task, too. If your existing lawn is not in great condition and you need to renovate what's there or seed bare spots, now is the best time to do it, since few if any weed seeds are germinating. The best time to control broad leaf perennial weeds is also, you guessed it, now. Regular irrigation to the tune of between one and two inches of water a week in the absence of rainfall is preferred until the ground is frozen.

September 22nd is the beginning of autumn, day length is waning, the historical first frost is the 25th here in our area, and fall chores line up to be addressed. Any time after Labor Day through early November is suitable to plant spring flowering bulbs. Try some different ones this year. Many catalogues also list a wide variety of suitable to spectacular companion plants.

The same window of opportunity might be used to plant garlic for next summer. Trees and shrubs, too. Don't forget to do a little advance looking around and homework to insure success. By this I mean carefully consider hardiness, size at maturity, pest resistance, stress and drought tolerance, and soil pH and light requirements.

Newly planted fruit trees and other thin barked trunks need to be protected from rabbit and vole damage. Use plastic guards or hardware cloth. If in strong sunny areas, before the cold sets in, paint the lower few feet with a white latex paint to reflect some of that strong winter sun that can result in frost cracking and bark splitting as a result of wide temperature swings between daytime and night. Of course, any newly planted material should be mulched with two inches of compost, shredded bark, pine needles, or other suitable organic matter. Mulch out to the drip line if room permits, and in, to within a few inches of the trunk, not right up to the trunk. Water, as with new lawns (above), until the ground is frozen.

As the month progresses, become accustomed to early preparation for frost warnings. Protecting the tomatoes and tender bloomers can provide weeks of extra growing, so idiosyncratic are our frost events. It's only a few years since my impatience survived well into November. Nothing is etched in stone.

If you are a veteran or dedicated gardener, you know the savings of investing your time in the beautiful, cool autumn to do your clean up under trees and shrubs. Removing fallen fruits and scouring out dead vegetative matter from food and flower gardens will save you more than twice the hours come spring, and reduce your follow-up to control pests that over-wintered.

Any houseplants summered outside in a somewhat sheltered area will reward you for a good shower or bath before coming back inside. They will be clean and pest free. They can even be cut back now, as the day length continues to shorten; new growth will be slow to start and more compact in the sunny window you provide.

Asparagus foliage usually turns bright golden after a frost. This is the signal to cut it back.

Most storage crops (winter squash, melons, gourds, pumpkins, potatoes, etc.) begin to go dormant and their foliage starts to die. Cut back on any irrigation. Whatever rainfall we get, we get. Too much water at this critical stage will dilute sweetness, cause cracking, and may impair keeping quality. Don't interrupt the dormancy process by accident.

People ask me all the time about the best time to divide flowering perennials. You may begin now as soon as you see the foliage begin to die back. If you're timid, wait for the first hard frost. The bottom line is you have plenty of time between now and getting them in the ground and established before the ground freezes. Only then, does all root activity cease. Those fragrant phloxes and those lovely irises are waiting to be rejuvenated!

This is the time to put in cover crops like oats, winter wheat and winter rye.

This is the time to begin a serious seed saving effort -- flowers and vegetable seeds. 35 mm film canisters are my favorite. Easy to label. Save the anti-dessicant packets, cylinders, etc. found in nearly everything these days, and put one in each container.

If you are not dividing your perennials this year, as foliage dies back, it's a good idea to leave a 4 inch or so handle when cutting them back. It catches mulches and snow, and provides you with a location clue come spring.

For an extra splash of color and vitality, plant some mums, pansies, ornamental cabbages and kales and your place will look radiant when all the annuals have faded and the perennials are languishing.

Not just for now, but for now until you can't work outside, create or feed a compost pile. Falling leaves and grass clippings, cut back plant debris, as well as vegetative scraps from the kitchen all contain the basic ingredients of a compost pile if you are so inclined. It's almost free and great stuff for gardens, house plants, and trees and shrubs. Give it a thought. It works by itself with a free hand from mother nature's earth worms. You can be anywhere you like, and it keeps on working.

Here is my found poem! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

H-O-M-O-G-E-N-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N
(Earthworms homogenize the soil.)

The earthworm who, described as lowly,
Grinds like the gods, exceedingly slowly,
Doth also grind exceedingly small.
By diligent, continual
And thorough subterranean toil,
He doth homogenize the soil.

O worm, who stoppest not nor starvest,
Thou makes best our richest harvest!
And we, with art that represents
Superior intelligence,
Compose a word of Grecian balance
To match your length but not your talents.

Burnham Eaton

From The Garden of Ed. Submitted for publication in The Towne Crier on September 7, 2005

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