"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." - Sam Keen

As you settle into “deep summer” and realize that fall is not far off, it is time to relax, enjoy your handiwork and show off the results of spring’s hard work! This time of year lends itself to activities that are more about enjoying the beauty and bounty of your garden, and looking ahead to a cooler time of year.

When the mercury soars, be sure to avoid working outside in the heat of the day. The hours between dawn and ten a.m. are ideal for getting chores done. Avoid planting anything in late summer; resume this activity when cooler weather moves in. Fall-planted transplants enjoy a cooler, moister environment in which to establish themselves.

Watering and mulching

Watering and mulching go hand in hand; it doesn’t make much sense to do the former without the latter. A two to four-inch layer of mulch is best to retain the moisture your plants gain through watering. Straw is a great choice for veggie gardens, while hardwood or pine mulches work well for other areas of your yard. As an added bonus, a layer of mulch suppresses the growth of weeds, saving you a little time on that chore.

Keep your plants well-hydrated; this step is essential to avoid plant stress and make them less vulnerable to pests. Concentrate on keeping your most valued plants hydrated, including vegetable crops, rare plants, sentimental favorites, and whatever you planted most recently. Don’t forget trees and shrubs, which represent the greatest impact and loss of value in your yard if they succumb to drought stress. Houseplants that have been brought outside will need extra attention, since the heat and increased airflow will cause them to wither more quickly than they would in the static indoor environment. Also, water those compost piles and bins to keep them active and cooking properly!

All plants benefit from being watered less often, and more deeply; a good soaker hose and timer setup can make this chore a no-brainer, and puts your mind at ease while you are on vacation. Water early in the morning so plants start the day prepared to deal with the heat.

Watering in the cool of the evening is not the best option: it can encourage unwanted fungi and mildews. Crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash, which are vulnerable to fungal infections, benefit from being watered only at their base, keeping the foliage dry. Mow your lawn high to shade out the weeds. To conserve water, consider letting your lawn go dormant in the late summer, which it will naturally do as the temperature rises.

Weeding and feeding

Weeding should be a frequent, if not daily, ritual. At this time of year, weeds can take over if not they are not removed, stealing nutrients, water and sun from your prized plants. Any weeds allowed to flower and go to seed will return with a vengeance the following year! The chore will be that much easier if you weed a day or two after rain falls. Protect empty patches where weeds used to grow with more mulch.

Deadheading & Pruning

Deadheading, or removing all of the spent blooms, can encourage a plant to produce a second round of blooms. Simply cut the stem back to where you can see the next set of flower buds forming. Fall-flowering perennials such as chrysanthemums and asters benefit from being cut back by one third to one half. This pruning will make for a bushier, showier plant in autumn.

Cut summer-blooming blackberries and other brambles back after they bear fruit. Since they only produce fruit on new canes, you can prune out all old canes which produced fruit this year. The same concept applies to many summer-blooming shrubs, trees and vines: cut them back as soon as their bloom time is over. You can also prune away all diseased or dead limbs and suckers from trees and shrubs.

Harvesting

As you have probably already found, gathering the bounty from your kitchen garden can be one of the most satisfying summer activities. Harvesting early in the morning when fruit and vegetable sugars are higher will ensure that they also taste their best and store well. The same holds true for cut flowers: they should be harvested before the heat of the day wilts them. Cut them at an angle with a clean, sharp knife or pruner, remove all leaves that will sit below the waterline, and plunge them into cool water with a flower preservative added.

The frequency of the harvest is also an important factor in how plentifully your crops produce. Make a habit of plucking ripe fruits and veggies frequently, and do so before they become overripe. If you plan to take a late-summer vacation, ask a friend or neighbor to help themselves to the harvest while you are gone; thus, good will and good gardening are both accomplished in one step!

Looking ahead: Planning and sowing fall’s garden

Since the high temps limit the time available to work outside, maximize your AC-enhanced downtime by looking to the future. A fall garden does very well in East Tennessee, and early August is the perfect time to tally successes and failures, dream up a plan, and gather your materials. Revisit this season’s adventures: What went well? What didn’t? All these details will be best remembered and recorded now.

For seed saving, late summer and early fall is the best time to watch for seed pods to dry and open as summer plants complete their bloom cycle. In addition to what you can cull from your own yard, consult seed and bulb catalogs to decide what you would like for this fall’s garden and what to put in for next spring’s show.

If you have a sunny window or porch, start some seedlings for vegetables like broccoli and cabbage now to plant out in September and October. Veggies that grow well into fall include: snap peas, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, arugula, mustard greens, radish, spinach, turnips, Swiss chard and onions. Remember that October is the right time to plant next spring’s garlic. Plant the biggest cloves you can find from this year’s harvest, if you grew some. Otherwise, order some bulbs.

You can also start some winter-hardy annuals from seed for fall planting, such as pansies, violas, annual lobelia, wallflowers, forget-me-nots, primrose, snapdragons, pot marigold and stock. Many flowering plants can be sown in fall in preparation for a spring bloom. These include columbine, summer phlox, foxglove, bachelor’s buttons, and primrose, as well as wildflowers like goldenrod, Joe Pye weed, ironweed, and butterfly weed.

Your favorite garden centers will begin to stock fall blooming plants to include in your garden plan. Choose anemones and sweet autumn clematis (a sweet-smelling vine for a wall or trellis) in addition to the traditional mums and pansies. Of course, no autumn planting time in Chattanooga would be complete without a visit to at least one of the great fall plant sales that happen in September and October. Grab your gardening buddies and go have some fun!

Helpful Links
Local Gardening Resources:
UT Gardens: http://utgardens.tennessee.edu/
Hamilton County Master Gardeners: http://mghc.org

Plant Sales:
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden: http://www.reflectionriding.org/upcoming_events.html
Chattanooga Area Food Bank: http://chattfoodbank.org/?s=fall+plant+sale
Crabtree Farms: http://www.crabtreefarms.org/events/fallplant.html