I used to think the so-called “Indian Summer” in the Little House series sounded romantic and cozy. (Though now that I reread that chapter in The Long Winter I realize it was creepy and foreboding.) As you might guess from previous posts, in reality I don’t consider never ending summer to be a positive thing.
We’ve only had one beautiful fall weekend in the greater D.C. area (two counting today!)—one weekend of open windows, crisp air, and more than a few minutes spent outdoors. The rest of what is masquerading as “fall” has felt like an extension of August. Humid, overly warm, sluggish, sticky, and including some special effects—mosquitoes are still alive and kicking (and biting).
There is something that makes up for the discomfort—a late harvest of peppers and roses.
This most recent stint cleaning up the garden led me to summarize a few things I’ve learned about plants this year, in hopes that listing my mistakes will prevent me from repeating them next year… which would mean the same mistakes four years running. Yes, I can be slow to learn.
First, bigger is not better when it comes to tomato plants. If one refuses to prune (see Fine Gardening for a detailed tutorial), you do get a plant as tall as you are. But as soon as it produces promising little green fruits, the whole thing dies from the ground up and you get nothing but spotty tomatoes and a droopy plant.
The positive part of dealing with plant disease was learning that university horticulture programs—like Cornell, the University of Wisconsin, and Kansas State—have websites with great information. I learned my dying plant problem may be fixed with fungicide next year. Finding that (non-lethal, ideally organic) fungicide will be the next research project.
Second, water in the morning. It’s worth getting up five minutes earlier. Plants are happier and, especially in humid climates, it reduces opportunities for water to stagnate and fungal disease to take over all plants.
Third, no matter how miserable it gets during the summer, prune all plants regularly, and make sure they are well supported. If plants get unwieldy, they will uproot during every thunderstorm.
Finally, if at all possible, don’t vacation in August. Upon your return, all potted plants with be brown and crispy.
Despite my craving for cold weather, I almost wish it were spring—I’m that ready to implement my gardening resolutions.
Ugh, it’s been a largely unpleasant autumn in Mass, too. The trees are beginning to look beautiful, but until about two weeks ago we didn’t have crisp, cool breezes… just heat, heat, and more heat!