Late Summer Garden Chores

The moon is new today (August 27th). New moon is the time of balanced leaf and root growth so it's a good time for planting and transplanting external seed producing annuals

At this time of year and especially during this phase of the moon is a good time to plant seeds for quick maturing veggies like lettuce, mustard, chard and even radishes, (though it's better to start root crops at full moon).

This particular time of year is also very good for planting vines and cane fruits like berries, grapes and hops. Most berries in our area are just reaching maturity, so it's not quite time to cut canes back. When it is time, the process is simple: cut back the old fruiting canes (after harvest) to the ground and tie the new green canes to supports. These are what will produce fruit next year.

Michael and I took a little trip to the Oregon coast a couple weeks ago. It's blueberry harvest time all along the coast from Port Orford to Bandon. And they are yummy!

Blueberries can be grown in milder regions of Siskiyou County (Dunsmuir, Shasta & Scott Valleys) and require acid soil and a sunny location ­ not to mention three to eight years wait for fruit production. They don't tolerate hard frosts, though there are frost tolerant varieties. Blueberries need two or more varieties grown together as they are not self-fertile. After blueberries begin producing they will produce high yields for many years. Check with your local nursery person for varieties that will do well in your area.

Other late summer garden chores include deadheading annuals, cutting back shrubs after flowering, ordering spring flowering bulbs, fertilizing perennials, harvesting veggies: potatoes, beans, tomatoes, squash, onions; propping large squash and melons up off the ground to prevent rotting and all the other ongoing tasks like mulching, weeding and pruning.

NEWS FLASH! The bear peeled our Satsuma plum like it was a banana. When we got home from the coast we found all the limbs prostrate with the main trunk standing alone. This was with the electricity on. The good news is that he doesn't seem to have returned since. We think he must have gotten a taste prior to our repairing the fence and then withstood the mild jolt of electrons for a second course sometime after the fence was fixed. I sure hope he doesn't decide to take another risky venture now that our peaches and nectarines are ripening.

Update: The channel 15 classes have ceased, I'm sorry to say. The potato harvesting and storage class will not be happening. I will write about it in a future column.

The River Center and I will be putting on a workshop in November ­ creating holiday decorations using various natural elements and techniques. I will talk about it in my next newsletter due out mid September. If you want to be a recipient of said newsletter, come in and sign our guest book.

In the meantime remember, time spent with nature, in the garden or by a creek, makes the world look brighter and helps you feel lighter.