How is Your Fall Garden?

[AlittleSalt]

I ask this because I have no idea how my fall garden is doing because it's my first attempt at growing it in containers. I chose to stick with a few tomato plants and two containers of summer squash and Zucchini.

The summer heat hasn't broken yet. (I could leave that as written, but there's a lot more to it. The rest will sound confusing.)

We are in a drought, and yet there is a lot of humidity with temperatures in the upper 90s for highs. The containers are not drying as expected - I've over-watered again? That was days ago, I did everything I have learned, and yet the plants look wonderful... I guess?

Have you ever been confused about your garden?

More things that are odd to me, and yet, I knew it would happen. I let the grass and weeds grow instead of mow them. The last time I mowed was around July 2. I push mowed through poison ivy and whatever God/Mother Nature grew. I haven't mowed since. The drought has killed off so much of the new growth - it's looking brown. Weeds are going to seed.

I might be the first gardener that likes seeing weeds go to seed. I added to the growing spaces a lot when my family showed little interest in tomatoes and peppers I grew. I shared a lot of F2 seeds with nature.

My idea is to give nature a helping hand. How is Your Fall Garden?

[Nan_PA_6b]

My fall garden is the continuation of my spring/summer garden for the most part. When the snap peas ended I put in a few sunflowers and am about to get my first open flower. I like that they attract chickadees and goldfinches when in seed.

I put Neves Azorean Red in about 2 months late, and Velvet Red about a month & 1/2 late. I'm getting red Velvet Reds and green NAR now. My hope is just to get enough NAR to taste. If we think it's any good, I can re-grow it.

Many 'maters are spent now, & I've pulled the stakes. Others like Butter Apple, Post Office Spoonful & Sungold are still going strong. My Spanish determinates have given me their harvests all at once; they're hanging in my basement. Mustard greens went to seed long ago. Lettuce is seeding now. One rhubarb went dormant early and one is still going strong.

As to weeds, I haven't weeded in a long time. I did go through with a Weed Whacker a while back to chop down some big stuff. If the good plants are taller than the weeds, I consider it acceptable.

As for leaving the weeds in place, Salt, you can say they're your "cover crop" left there to "hold the soil."

[GrowingCoastal]

My tomato plants still look great but with the cooler weather that will soon change. I have stopped fertilizing and watering has really slowed with cool temps. Tomatoes are splitting and I have to get better at reducing water just before the temps change and plants don't use as much water. Some of the fruits appeared to have split with rain water just sitting on the fruit under a drip with none of that water getting into the pot. Picking, cooking and canning will be over soon enough and it is almost time to plant garlic.
Fall is a time when people turn to the inside and start buying house plants. Not me, usually, but somehow I just had to have a maiden hair fern and a small mum for outside and was given a large yellow/red mum by a store clerk who recognised me as a regular and offered me one of her left overs.
I have now brought in my two mini orchids and goldfish plant as it is getting too cold outside. I do try to keep houseplants to a minimum as I need the area by the large window for tomato starts in spring. Last year the goldfish plant had aphids but somehow they did not like the tomatoes or peppers! So, fern in the bathroom and mums just stay outside. And I'm sure that the African violet I bought at the thrift shop last week will not have aphids!

[AlittleSalt]

Nan, that's what those weeds are there for. Also to help keep splash up from happening as much.

[Worth1]

My fall garden isn't planted yet and I still have basil growing like a weed.

[b54red]

The only thing new for fall that has been planted in my garden so far is cucumbers and though they look a bit wilted and pale from the very high temps they have been producing well. The rest of my garden is just left over tomatoes and peppers both of which are doing surprisingly well despite the drought and heat. I don't believe I have ever had bell peppers make so well when it was this dry and hot all summer and now fall even if many of them have some sun scald. I do have some beans in cups ready to go out but the temps are just too high to set them out now. When I try to harden them off they get sun scalded leaves by 11:00 AM and then it takes them three or four days to recover. I am placing them outside until about 10 in the morning or until I see the first signs of sun burn happening to them then put them back in the greenhouse which has 40% shade cloth over it and has a small air conditioner to help cool it down some. In the past couple of weeks with a few days getting above 100 and nearly every day but a couple in the upper 90s is the first time I have ever seen okra get burned by the sun. I ended up pulling it up because the new growth kept getting burned. I thought this might be caused in part by nematodes but when I dug them up the roots looked great. I would love to see some clouds and steady rain to cool it down for fall but the forecast is bleak. I'm still waiting to start most of my fall seeds for the greenhouse to be a bit cooler so I get good germination out of those cool weather crops. I am beginning to feel like I am in the desert but I have that ever present high humidity to remind me I am still in the southeast.

Bill