Summer To-Do List

Weed, weed, weed! Harvest, harvest, harvest! Deadhead, deadhead, deadhead! Plant, plant, plant!

And find time to relax and enjoy your garden.

Ornamentals

• Enjoy late season perennials like Rudbeckia, Sedum, Russian sage, asters, Hibiscus, Helenium and anemones.

• Keep deadheading annuals and dahlias so they will continue blooming well into fall.

• Mid-September to mid-October (if the ground has started to cool): Divide and replant irises and spring-blooming perennials. 

• Begin cutting back and tidying mixed borders, leaving some floriferous plants and seedheads intact for winter interest and wildlife. 

• Take advantage of end-of-season sales on trees, shrubs, perennials, and spring-flowering bulbs, and plant them when the weather cools.

• Prepare for fall clean-up by cleaning, sharpening and lubricating cutting tools.

Edibles

• Plant winter vegetable starts (purple sprouting broccoli, kale, cabbage).

• Sow leafy greens (lettuce, collards, spinach, pac choi) for fall harvest and hardy greens (corn salad, arugula) for winter/early spring harvest. 

• Prune tomato and squash vines to focus their energy on ripening the existing fruit. 

• Plant garlic between mid-September and mid-October (if the soil is cool) in an area where onion family plants have not recently been grown.  • Collect vine-dried beans and peas to use as seeds for next year. 

• Remove fallen/diseased fruits, vegetables, leaves and branches from all garden areas, as they can spread infections and/or attract unwanted critters.

Reminder:

Keep building compost with fruit and vegetable scraps, dried leaves and plant trimmings, seaweed, manure, and as wide a variety of other seed-free ingredients — both brown and green — as you can find. Your garden will thank you!