Hello, October! Maples are changing to their fiery, brilliant colors. Driving by the farms, there are baskets and buckets full of pumpkins, gourds, and squash. Anyone else feeling like spooky season is here?
Well, the weather this week has helped with that Fall feeling. The Nor’easter blew into town, slowly and thoroughly dumping rain and fog around the region. Surprisingly, the warm temperatures have stuck around. I truly expected to say goodbye to the last holdouts of veggie crops and tender flowers. Even more surprisingly? My monkshood blossomed! I have kept an eye on my newly planted gothic plant all season, and here it is with its dark green foliage and deep purple blossoms!
As the procrastin-gardener that I am, I still haven’t pulled plants that have gone by, like our blighted tomatoes and peaked cucumbers. When I finally start pulling these plants, it’s always a good practice to sanitize stakes and tomato cages before storing them for the winter. It helps to prevent diseases from spreading next season. Soaking them in a light bleach-and-water solution is how my aunt does it–you just need a big enough stock tank (or even a plastic pool). I will soon (a procrastin-gardeners’ favorite word) be pulling out all of our plant and flower props in the perennial beds. It’s important to do before the snow arrives.
I’ll also be taking in my ceramic birdbath soon as well. Be sure to dump out the water and store the birdbath dry for the winter. When ceramic pieces are exposed to freezing and thawing, it is likely that the ceramic will contract and expand until it breaks. Speaking of birds, in and around my yard, bird numbers are finally back up! I’m seeing my cardinals, nuthatches, and chickadees visiting the feeders again. More migrants will surely arrive soon as well.
When the storm finally broke, I managed to reseed the lawn where we had grub damage. It’s still a good time to seed, and it will give us a jump start in the spring. I also seeded wildflower seeds! It’s my first try at it–I’ve never tried to sow them in the Fall before. I should have given the area a good raking, but decided I just needed to get the project done–it’s recommended to seed wildflowers eight weeks before the first predicted frost. I’m considering it an experiment. We’ll see what happens in the springtime!
Moving on to Nashua Farmers’ long-awaited announcement: our Fall seed garlic has arrived at the store! The wait is over, and we have six different varieties of garlic to choose from. From milder porcelain to spicier racombles–all hardneck varieties meant to grow in our cold climate! Visit our website to see what varieties we are carrying or come by the store. Just know that supplies are limited, and we have sold out in years past. So don’t wait too long, but don’t forget to wait until at least mid-October to plant. Looking for planting instructions? Download them here! We also have lots of Fall flower bulbs to choose from, but like the garlic, be sure to wait until mid-October to plant.
Our weather this week prevented me from doing garden and yard work, so that’s all for now! Until next week, enjoy the gardens, and explore our local trails to see the beautiful foliage emerging!
Kate Ratta is the manager of the local feed store Nashua Farmers' Exchange, Inc. She has more than 10 years of experience working in the business owned by her aunt and uncle, Judy Ratta-Harrington and Gene Harrington, and will be contributing weekly garden reports. The store is located at 38½ Bridge Street in Nashua in the converted Boston & Maine and Concord Railroad station.
