POUND RIDGE, N.Y. September is just around the corner. The kids are getting ready to head back to school and youre picking the last of the tomatoes and corn from your garden. But dont put away those shovels and trowels just yet.
Just because autumn is knocking on the door doesnt mean that you have to put an end to your gardening endeavors.
Gardening year-round is coming back into vogue, said Sarah Young, manager of the Pound Ridge Nursery. Its in vogue to be green and its in vogue to be organic.
Consequently, backyard gardeners are trying to stretch out the homegrown vegetable season as long as they can.
What you did in the spring, you can do again in the fall with your cool season vegetables, she said. Greens like lettuces and endive and all those sorts of things.
Other cool season veggies include spinach, swiss chard, arugula, kale and cabbage. Young said you can grow them straight from seed or buy flats from your local nursery with seedlings already started. She said cool season veggies grow pretty quickly.
The seeds germinate in about three to five days, she said. It takes about four to six weeks for the plants to mature before you can pick them.
For those attempting their first fall garden, its a matter of ripping out the remains of the cold season veggies you planted last spring which have been harvested and then preparing the soil for replanting. But for some savvy gardeners, fall planting, as Young pointed out, is back in vogue. Many already have dedicated raised beds ready and waiting, for their cool season vegetables.
As for ornamental plants, Young said most gardeners prefer to stick with perennials such as anemones and chrysanthemums rather than annuals. Theyre usually grown in large pots and placed on decks, patios and porches.
You dont usually see a large-scale planting of annuals, Young said. Its a lot of work and its very expensive. Plus, most annuals are not deer-resistant and that can be a problem around here with all the deer we have. In the fall, people just want constant blooming something that is high performance and low maintenance.
Gerry Caulfield, another Pound Ridge Nursery employee, said salvia is a popular ornamental choice for fall gardeners in the area.
It holds up very well in the fall, she said as she watered a batch of purple salvia. Its pretty it goes great with ornamental grasses.
Do you plant a fall garden? What sorts of veggies or flowers to plant? Share your experiences with us on Twitter or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheDailyPoundRidge
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