As the Thunder Rolls and the Rains Fall.....

In late summer, as the thunder rolls and the rains fall, keeping us inside; we have the chance to recall all we've done and the results we've gotten. Life is that way. We work and work at all sorts of things and if we don't take a day for ourselves, mother nature will force it upon us. A day like this is important in our lives and it's also important in gardening. We've worked all summer trying to grow a bumper crop and we need to take our time now to know what worked and what didn't. There are literally thousands of varieties of crops we can grow and some simply grow and produce better than others. For example; this year I grew a new zucchini called meteor in our demonstration garden. This was a solid yellow zucchini that promised high yields and great flavor. Well, as I reflect; nothing could be farther from the truth. The plant is hard to grow and must be planted when it is hot outside to thrive. Oh wait did I say thrive? Well thriving to this plant is producing a bland yellow zucchini from time to time. Not a winner and not a useful plant. Well, back to the drawing board, but that's the reason we have a demonstration garden. That way the public will know what to grow and won't have to bother with experimenting with poor producers. So during this lull, take the time to review your vegetables and see what worked and what didn't.

While we are reviewing our successes and failures, we must begin to think about fall. I know it seems early but it is time to start thinking about what you will grow and where you will grow it. Don't be afraid to pull out those old worn out tomatoes and replace them with your fall crop. Come November you will be happy to have fresh vegetables.

So, what do we do? Start crops of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and head lettuce indoors under florescent lights the first or second week of August. This way they will be ready to go in the garden the first couple of weeks of September. Contrary to what some believe, the crops grow great in the warm fall weather. They only need to mature in cool weather. This why fall frost hardy crops are generally better in the fall than the spring.

So take rainy days to reflect and plan for next year and for this fall. A garden that is planned out properly always produces more than one haphazardly thrown together. Remember, gardens are like people; they need love and care to be successful and proper planning is the first step in that love and care. Enjoy your fall gardens and if you have questions, contact me and I'll get you going in the right direction. scott_welborn@ncsu.edu