September Gardening Chores

September Gardening Chores


In Red Bluff, California:

Watering daily when temperatures over 90F.  
Removing dead and non-productive vegetable crops. 
Apply manure and compost to clay soils.  
Planting crops for late autumn harvest:  cabbages, kale, radishes, peas, fennel, cauliflower, lettuce, swiss chard, onions, leeks, Chinese peas, and endive.
Drying peppers and squash.
Start new strawberry beds. 
Dig up and divide garlic, perennials, iris, daylilies,  bulbs and onions.
Keep watering properly even as the weather begins to cool. 
Clean up all dead fruit. 
Fruit trees fed and sprayed with tonics.
Seed lawns with rye grass for winter color. 
Remove any dead shrubs or trees and place in large burn pile. 
Dig holes for planting trees and shrubs; plant in ground starting November 1st.
Purchase potted trees and shrubs for planting in autumn. 
Continue to mulch trees and shrubs.
Raking fallen leaves and add to compost pile.
Purchase bulbs from nurseries. 
Feed lawn with slow release fertilizer.
Remove spent blooms from roses.
Weed vegetables and shrubs, mow lawns.
Start to prepare sheds, tools, and equipment for Winter weather.
Repair roofs.  

September: Quotes, Poems, Seasonal Sayings

Autumnal Equinox Celebration


"I don't wanna say goodbye for the summer
Knowing the love we'll miss
Oh let us make a pledge to meet in September
And seal it with a kiss
Guess it's gonna be a cold lonely summer
But I'll fill the emptiness
I'll send you all my love every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss."
-  Bobby Vinton 

"Harvest home, harvest home!
We've plowed, we've sowed
We've reaped, we've mowed
And brought safe home
Every load."
-  Harvest Home Song    

May you enjoy your Labor Day in America!!   

January Gardening Projects

"January is the quietest month in the garden. ... But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening. The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants. The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."
- Rosalie Muller Wright, Editor of Sunset Magazine, 1/99

Wintertime

We scattered 16-16-16 fertilizer around our home garden. We cut up and removed a large Douglas fir limb that fell in our backyard. We topped up the soil in our raised beds. We pruned overgrown shrubs. We raked and picked up branches in the backyard. We picked up Bruno's dog shit piles in the backyard. We also worked on the foundation for our new greenhouse.

Our garden in November

Home Projects in January

"Soon will set in the fitful weather, with fierce gales and sullen skies and frosty air, and it will be time to tuck up safely my roses and lillies and the rest for their winter sleep beneath the snow, where I never forget them, but ever dream of their wakening in happy summers yet to be."
- Celia Thaxter

January Gardening

I pruned six roses. I dug up each rose and transplanted the roots into a new large pot. I moved six pots of roses to the nursery area in the back yard. 

I excavated and layed pavers by the front door. 

We had moved some large potted plants indoors: a lemon citrus, an avocado, a succulent, a fuchsia, etc.

I reworked the sides of the large covered patio on the east side of our house. I closed the entire fence line on the east side from the front gate to the back yard gate. Then I hung brown plastic sheets to enclose three sides and provide some additional rain protection. Two 75 watt utility lights were hung to provide worksite illumination. All sides included four level plastic storage racks to maximize storage in this covered and enclosed storage and work area outside the garage.

I started putting the the 4"x4"x8' treated posts into concrete in the ground.   

June Gardening Chores

June Gardening Chores in Red Bluff, California, USDA Zone 9

Watering on a regular basis in the early morning hours.
Mowing lawns.
Mowing and weed eating property borders for fire protection.
Weeding around vegetables and shrubs.
Wearing a hat and long sleeved shirts. 
Maintenance on lawn mowing equipment.
Enjoying vegetables and fruits.
Thinning out excess fruit on trees.
Mulching with straw.
Training vines on support structures, and pruning vigorous grape vines.
Relaxing in the shade.
Enjoying annuals in bloom.
Turning and watering the compost pile. 
Removing any wild grass fire hazards. 
Removing spent roses. 
Cleaning up trash. 
Cutting down dead trees and shrubs.  Piling safely in burn pile.
Reading, resting, and meditating in the shade. 
Sipping cool water and tea.   
Deep soaking trees and shrubs. 
Painting and other maintenance as needed. 
Keeping tender potted plants in the afternoon shade. 
Creative ways of preventing gopher attacks in vegetable garden.
Planting annuals.

June: Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Lore, Gardening Chores

Summer Solstice Celebration

Spirit of Gardening

The Green Man: Lore, Quotations

May Gardening Chores

May Gardening Chores in Red Bluff

Divide and replant clumps of perennials that have finished flowering.
Take cuttings from some plants.
Watering as needed, especially potted plants.
Plant vegetables in a sunny garden area. 
Read garden books from the library. 
Mowing lawns and weeding.
Planting seeds in containers in the greenhouse. 
Fertilize some actively growing plants. 
Mulch trees, shrubs and garden. 
Weed garden.  Weed garden.  Weed garden. 
Take a nap in the shade.
Pick up tree branches blown down by high winds. 
Remove dead branches or trees. 
Thin out plants growing in the vegetable garden.
Mow lawns and field.  
Write a poem.   Keep a garden journal. 
Clean and scrub down garden chairs. 
Watering as needed.   Deeply soak trees. 
Celebrate May Day. 
Use straw mulch to conserve water and shade roots.
Don't get sun burnt.  Wear wide brimmed hats and long sleeve shirts.
Dig in composted manure.
Fertilize grass in lawns.   
Shape shrubs.
Weed garden.  Weed the garden.  Weed the garden. 
Rake and sweep up sitting areas in the shade. 
Prune vines. 
Search for poems and songs and quotes about the month of May. 
Clean up garden workbench area. 
Read some Springtime poetry out loud. 
Place extended release fertilizer in potted plants. 
Move tender plants into semi-shade. 
Thin excess fruit on trees. 
Sit and observe.
Thin our excess vegetables.   
Make sure lath/shade house is ready.  

We have five cherry trees that consistently produce delicious fruit.  

Working in the Summer Garden

June Gardening Chores in Red Bluff, California, USDA Zone 9

Watering on a regular basis in the early morning hours.
Mowing lawns.
Weeding around vegetables and shrubs.
Wearing a hat and long sleeved shirts. 
Maintenance on lawn mowing equipment.
Enjoying vegetables and fruits.
Thinning out excess fruit on trees.
Mulching with straw.
Training vines on support structures, and pruning vigorous grape vines.
Relaxing in the shade.
Enjoying annuals in bloom.
Turning and watering the compost pile. 
Removing spent roses. 
Reading, resting, and meditating in the shade. 
Sipping cool water and tea.   
Deep soaking trees and shrubs. 
Painting and other maintenance as needed. 
Keeping tender potted plants in the afternoon shade. 
Planting annuals.
Listening to music outdoors. 

June: Quotes, Poems, Lore, Sayings

Summer Solstice

The Spirit of Gardening