A September To Remember

[GoDawgs]

A cool September! Now, that's a rarity that we're thoroughly enjoying. Usually it's hot enough that I'm worried about planting out broccoli, etc and fretting about getting bush beans to germinate. But this year I rolled the dice on planting the beans in August, two weeks earlier than usual and hit a good temperature window. They popped up just fine. In fact, I had to put the netting tunnel leg extensions on the bean row a few days ago so the plants wouldn't be pushing against the netting.



The remnants of Sally came through without any damaging wind but dumped 7.5" on us in a 24 hour period. The three okras and two squash are in an area where there used to be a single wide mobile home at some point in the past. The area was dug out 6" deep by whoever owned it. Sally filled it up so the plants were doing the backstroke. I've never seen it full before.



The lower part of the garden (non-raised bed area) had 2" of water so the field peas were swimming too. But by the next morning every bit of water including the 6" had all been sucked up! I was amazed. Not only that, but you could walk on it without sinking! We keep dumping leaves and old pots of soil in that 6" deep area so eventually it will fill up. Maybe.

Yesterday a few more cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plants got planted out. That was Round 2 of four. Round 3 plants are under the lights and Round 4 plants were seeded yesterday. All rounds are about two weeks apart.

I need to rip out the Colossus peas. They're a mess and vining more without setting flowers or peas so out they come. The September Peas I'm trying are a lot smaller, more well behaved plants and starting to flower. The Red Ripper peas are setting pods.

The flowers are a mess and in sad decline, especially the zinnias. Downright ugly foliage. They are pretty much done but the butterflies are still visiting so the plants will stay in a bit longer. The plants are for them anyway.

I have been tired of having sneakers or hiking boots getting so wet in the garden and had been on the lookout for decent overshoes. So hard to find! But I found some on Amazon from the Tingley Rubber Company, an outfit who has been 50 years in business. They were $25 but I consider these a garden tool and worth it. They're heavy duty, wide enough in the front to accommodate steel toe shoes if I had them. I can just leave my garden sneakers in them so there's no putting on or taking off the overshoes all the time. The extra width makes them look like Mickey Mouse feet but they work! That's all I need and want. Dry feet after morning chores in dewy grass or rain puddles. :thumb:

[b54red]

Good idea with the overshoes. I found that Merrell makes a few waterproof shoes that work great in the garden. They are actually nice looking shoes and they last a long time. I use them when it is cold or if it is wet or even if I am doing anything messy like watering or spraying. I felt guilty wearing a pair of new 100 dollar shoes out in the garden but since I got a good five years off the first pair before they started to leak a bit it seemed like a fair deal. I really hate having to change wet sneakers two or three times a day when working in wet conditions.

I'm not sure how much rain Sally dropped on us but it was more than likely over 10 inches. My rain gauge was too small for measuring that much water in 24 hours. It could only tell me for sure of 7 1/2 inches but the various buckets around the yard and garden showed me that it could be anywhere from around 10 to 14 inches. I have a friend a few miles away that measured 12 1/2 inches from two gauges. A couple of friends of mine can't even go in their gardens from the standing water and deep mud. I was able to get out into mine the next day with no problems due to being on top of a high hill and having all raised beds that drain really well.

I am loving the cooler weather and hope it lasts. We better enjoy it because around here a cool September is rarer than a hot January.

Bill

[kilroyscarnival]

Glad you're taking advantage of the cooler weather! We had extra rain too, but nothing like closer to Sally's path. It's been a little milder, which is great because we've been working on the foundation for a new shed.

Ellie at Bunny Hop Seeds is in the Florida panhandle, and she said on her Facebook they got 20 inches of rain in 26 hours, which has played havoc with her garden.

I drive due east in the morning, so any cloudy morning is fine by me so I'm not squinting too badly. This morning we had a drizzle.

I like the overshoes... been saying for the past two years I need to get a couple pairs of waterproof shoes to keep in the office, my car, at home, etc. for the rainy season. When I was younger, those duck shoes by LL Bean (and imitators) were all the rage for a while, but funny how much it rains in Florida yet I never see those. Of course, flip flops are the official state shoe. I like to keep my feet covered usually but have been wearing flip flops around the back yard if I'm not doing heavy moving.

-- Ann

[b54red]

The last few days have been fantastic for getting some cleanup and bed prepping done. Temps have been in the low to high 70s with frequently cloudy days making working in the middle of the day possible. I really can't remember having this near perfect weather in mid September down here. I don't know if this means a long cold winter or just a great fall but I am hoping for the later. Of course it could just be a fluke and the usual hot dry conditions could return but I'm going to remain optimistic. If it weren't for old age, arthritis and a bad heart I could spend all day in the garden.

Today I will have had my mustard and turnips in the garden for 3 full days. I should be seeing some germination any time now. It has been difficult keeping the ground moist because of the high winds blowing from can til can't so I've had to sprinkle the planted area two or three times per day to keep the seeds moist. I have also had the new seedlings outside to get more light because with the cloudy conditions they have tended to get a bit leggy and thin in the greenhouse but that has also been a problem because the wind dries out the small seedbeds so fast. The forecast is for it to return to the 80s today so everything may have to be put back in the greenhouse or on the porch in the shade to prevent any sun-scald to the small seedlings still popping up in the egg carton seed starters I like to use. Some of my broccoli looks like it is nearly ready to pot up so I may get started on that and fertilize my few remaining tomatoes and see if I can coax a few more out of the tired and sickly plants.

In the past two weeks I have also started some onion seed a little earlier than usual and have had good germination. I usually start onions in mid October but last year the seedlings didn't grow large enough and I had to plant out very small seedlings and a good percentage froze because they were just too small. I have never had so many onions lost to the cold and it was a very mild winter with only a few really cold days. By starting some earlier than usual I am hoping to have some larger sets to put out this year but I will also be planting more seed in mid October. It seems there is a delicate balance between having sets too large and getting onions with thick necks that won't keep well and having sets too small to survive a good cold snap.

I actually watched a mocking bird pecking one of my barely ripening tomatoes yesterday and shooed it off before it could do too much damage and picked the tomato to ripen on the screened porch. In the past week I have been able to pick three tomatoes before the birds could get to them thanks in part I am sure to the aluminum pie plates banging on the tomato racks where I hung them. They seem to be warding off some of the sparrow swarms that have been a problem the past month and my beans are recovering from all the pecking they received. The cucumbers I set out just before the storm seem to be making a nice recovery from the beating they took so all in all it is a fantastic start for fall.

Bill