Garden Thoughts

Hello again,





A few days ago I dropped some seed for Bright Lights Swiss Chard into a big pot. My goal? I have been growing some very colorful containers of great color this summer and I would like to extend my array of color well well into the fall. I have not grown Bright Lights Swiss Chard before but I have been told great things about it. So, I picked up a packet of Bright Lights Swiss Chard here at Skillin's, dropped some seed into a pot full of Coast of Maine Bar Harbor Blend soil (THE BEST potting soil I know of right now!) and lo and behold just about a week later I have Bright Lights sprouts all over the pot.





Tomorrow I plan on doing some thinning of the thin little shoots to keep the rooting competition down. Swiss Chard is very cold tolerant and I plan on having lots of color well well into the fall right in this outdoor container. Plus Swiss Chard is one of the best salad greens any of us can eat.


So plant some yourself right in a container or in the ground. Enjoy the color and the taste of fresh vegetables well into the fall.





Also tomorrow I plan on getting my fall application of Nature's Turf fertilizer down on the ground. I talked about the merits of Nature's Turf in the Skillin's Fall Lineup Week 4 posting yesterday. You can find that posting just a little further down in the Skillin's Garden Log. If I don't get it down tomorrow, no worries yet, we still have several weeks to get Nature's Turf down. Remember Nature's Turf is an all natural slow release fertilizer that will work to improve the soil this fall. Most of the nutrients will be available in the Spring when you really want the lawn to green up that fact plus the fact that we will have better soil and deeper roots because of the better soil means that our lawns will get off to a great start next year. Remember! We recommend two to three applications of the Nature's Turf yearly for the lawn.



Still have weeds in the patio or in the garden? Now is a great time to spray them. Right now the weeds are busy sending chlorophyll into the root system to gear up strength for the winter. Spray them now and this downward action by the weeds will get the spray into the roots that much faster and will make for a better kill so you can avoid more spraying down the road. For lawn weeds we recommend Bonide's Weed Beater Ultraor the Bayer Company's All in One Weed Killer; they are products that feature smarter science and are quite effective. Once those weeds are tamed in your lawn, a naturally fed lawn like I just discussed in the previous paragraph will make for a stronger lawn that will keep the weeds crowded out!



If I have time tomorrow I also want to get another feeding of Holly Tone fertilizer around my rhodys and other evergreen plants. Also once we get some leaf drop from our shade trees nestle some leaves around the base of your rhodys; they really appreciate the organic matter as the leaves break down. But right now the ground is pretty bare around my rhodys, so it is a good time to get that Holly Tone by Espoma down around the base of the plants.





Proper fall cleanup is vital to preventing future insects and diseases on your plant material. Insects and diseases love to use decaying plant material as a harbor or “home base” for their pesky operations. Deny them the opportunity! Make sure flowering vines that have “passed on” are pruned properly, broken branches—especially those with dying leaves are pruned and taken away, and dead leaves are raked and piled in a compost pile or bagged for recycling.



Don't forget to water your containers and hanging plants to keep them looking good. It has been a great growing season and the soil in my outdoor hanging plants and containers is chock full of happy roots right now. But lots of roots means much demand on moisture. So, check your pots frequently and make sure they get good soakings of water!

Thanks,

Mike Skillin