It's Time to Prep and Plant For Fall

First, a big shout out to those who attended last weekend's Best Ever Fall Vegetable Garden class. I applaud your enthusiasm and curiosity! As always, the Q&A portion of class is one of the most valuable aspects of the DGS curriculum. (If you missed class, you can get instant access to the recording, printable materials, and help from me ​here​. I've also extended the ​Fall Bundle discount.​)

What to plant this weekend

1. Do your best to transplant your fall tomatoes by the end of this week. After planting, protect with shade cloth (40-50%), and support cloth so that hangs at least two feet above plants–if it's too close, it will block too much light.
2. Direct sow pumpkins (important!), winter squash, okra, melons, zinnias, sunflowers, celosia, and amaranthus.
3. Transplant peppers, eggplant, pumpkins, potatoes (you can just use organic, small potatoes like yukon, red or fingerling from grocery because seed potatoes are not available this time of year), winter squash, gomphrena, sunflowers, zinnias.

How to prep for fall

1. Pull out all vegetables that have stopped fruiting or have been ravaged by pests and disease. Do not leave any vegetable plant debris behind.
2. Weed garden beds thoroughly.
3. Amend garden beds with high-quality compost from an independent nursery. (For my 4'x15' beds, I use 6-7 bags.)

Chop those perennials

Cut back perennials by 30-50% (or more if you know plant needs) to reshape and stimulate fresh growth and more blooms.

Make notes

Write down the best performing plants from spring and early summer that you plan to grow again next year. Document experiments/tests and any big takeaways. Just putting pen to paper will cement your learnings and help you to apply them in the future.

My Chop: Before & After

Earlier this week, I chopped back my entire display bed. The Mystic Spires salvia was still blooming, but plants were overgrown and blooms were "meh". I cut them back by 50%, sheared back the Profusion Zinnias, Salvia 'Blue by You', Salvia nemorosa 'Amethyst', and thoroughly deadheaded the large zinnias, gomphrena, rudbeckia, and remaining cosmos.

After shearing, I fertilized the entire area with bloodmeal that I had on hand (I would normally use fish fertilizer 5-1-1) to give tired plants a boost, especially after all the rain we've had. (You may have been told not to fertilize during hot months, but that is outdated advice that pertains to high-powered chemical fertilizers, not gentle organic fertilizers. Consistent, gentle fertilization is what keeps plants looking good all summer long.)

Here is the before and after:

In a month or so this area will be an explosion of color again.

I've mentioned it before, but the Profusion Zinnias along the front border came back on their own this year. I'll share how you can harness the power of plants that re-seed to create low-maintenance flower gardens in the upcoming class ​Low-Maintenance Gardening with Perennials and Self-Seeding Annuals on September 13​.

Have a great weekend.

CWL