Honey Do's for August

Here's a few things to fill your August days (for zone 7):

• Start cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes for a second round of fresh fall produce.
• Start your fall greens in flats in a shady location.
• Dig up your potatoes as the stems die off.
• Keep you basil pinched back to prevent it from flowering.
• Getting rid of weeds now before they go to seed means less weeds to deal with next season. 
• Plant some peonies for some pretty spring color. Our mild southern winters mean the crowns should only be buried 1 1/2 - 2 inches below ground.
• Keeping plants like holly, nandina and pyracantha mulched and watered during long periods of hot, dry weather will help them keep their showy fall berries.
• Fertilize your fall-blooming roses.
• Keep your hummingbird feeders filled and clean regularly.
• Replace water in the bird bath regularly to prevent mosquitoes.

In the Ground: August

Time to start the fall garden:


Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Collards
Cucumbers
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mustard
Radish
Rutabaga
Spinach
Squash
Turnips

Honey Do's for July

Here's list of things to do around the garden for July (this is for zone 7, adjust for your zone):

• Deadhead spent flowers to promote growth of new blooms. If you are saving seeds, let the spent flowers turn brown before cutting to ensure the seeds have matured enough to germinate.
• Pinch any suckers from tomato plants to focus growth on the fruits. Leave ones above the fruit to help shade them from the brutal July sun.
• Plant the pinched suckers in growing medium in 2-3 inch containers, keep moist and lightly shaded. The stems will take root and can be transplanted to the garden for a fall harvest.
• Harvest herbs before they begin to flower. That is when they contain the most of their essential oils. Pick in the morning before the sun heats up the leaves.
• The days between rain showers will seem to stretch on forever stressing out your plants in the summer heat. Make sure to water early in the morning or in the evening to prevent loosing it all to evaporation. Water deeply every few days to encourage roots to grow down instead of near the surface where they will dry out faster.
• Plants in containers will dry out faster than those in the ground. Check them daily; water as needed.
• Keep those weeds in check by preventing them from going to seed. Pull them out or chop the tops off with a garden hoe. Mulching around your plants makes it easier to pull out weeds and reduces water loss from evaporation.. 
• Check any houseplants spending the summer outdoors for insect damage or egg laying. Use a damp cloth to gently wipe the leaves top and bottom to remove any.
• Keep the birdbath cleaned and full of fresh water for our bug eating feathered friends. Clean out that hummingbird feeder at least once a week during the hot, hazy days of summer.

If the summer heat keeps you out of the garden, spend some time indoors planning your fall garden or cleaning up and organizing your potting shed from the spring planting frenzy. You'll be able to hit the garden running when the temperatures start to cool.

Happy Planting!

Plant Profiles: Collards (Coles Georgia)

Also Known As: --

Plant Description: 
Collards are a loose leafed cultivar of Brassica oleracea. They are grown for their large, dark green leaves which can be eaten and also as an ornamental plant. The leaves grow along an upright stalk and can reach up to two feet in height. They belong to the same cultivar group as broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, to which they are genetically similar. Popular varieties of collards are "Georgia Southern", "Morris Heading" and "Butter Collard".

Collards are most often grown annually from seed but can be a biennial or even perennial plant in some regions. Collard leaves can be harvested year round but they are most flavorful in colder months especially after the first frost. Pick leaves before they reach their maximum size. Collards are high in Vitamin C, K and a good source of soluble fiber.

Georgia Southern are a southern standard for collards. Producing lots of dark blue-green leaves this variety is slow to bolt and non-heading. Tolerates heat, humidity and poor soil conditions. Plant in the fall to harvest before the first frost.

Plant Culture: Light:  Sun / light shade Soil:  tolerates poor soil  Water:  drought tolerant Zones:  all Germinates: 10-21 days Harvest:  75 days
Sow in early spring or midsummer for fall crop. In frost free areas, sow from fall to early spring. Space rows 36" apart. plant seeds evenly and cover with 1/4" of soil. Firm lightly. Thin to 18" apart when seedlings are 1-2" high.
Plant History:
Collards are grown throughout much of the southern United States, Brazil, Portugal, many parts of Africa, even in central Europe and India. They have been a part of our diet for over 2000 years. In the United States, collards are prepared much the same way as kale, spinach, turnip and mustard greens. Often they are cooked with some type of smoked and salted meat like ham hocks, turkey legs or fatback, onions, vinegar and pepper. Collards and black-eyed peas with corn bread is a traditional dish cooked for New Year's Day to ensure good luck in the coming year.
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Plant Profiles: Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis L.)

Also known as: wild columbine, red-bell, Canada columbine, rock lily, red columbine

Plant Description:
Columbine is a native perennial known for its red and yellow hanging flowers and scalloped leaves. It grows in a variety of conditions ranging from riverbanks to woodland edges. This plant is one of the first to bloom in February through April here in the eastern U.S. (zone 7) and is an important source of nectar for hummingbirds and bees.

Eastern Columbine will grow to about 2 feet tall with 3 foot stalks of multiple red and yellow flowers that hang downward. The compound leaves are divided into three rounded lobes. Aquilegia canadensis will readily hybridize with other members of the genus. Self-seeding.

Plant Culture:
Light: part-shade to light sun
Soil: tolerates a wide variety of soil conditions
Water:  drought tolerant
Hardiness Zone: 3-8
Propagation:  seeds must be stratified; transplants easily, water until established


Plant History:

The name Aquilegia comes from the Latin aquila which means "the eagle" in reference to the flower petals which resemble an eagle's talon. Native Americans reportedly rubbed the crushed seeds on men's hands as a love charm. They also prepared infusions to treat hearth trouble, kidney problems, headaches, fever and a wash for poison ivy.



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