Reviving Your Garden for Fall

I don't know which I enjoy more, cooking or gardening.  I think the most inspired is when the two can be creatively intertwined.  That is why I strive to maintain a semblance of gardening all year round.  Spring gardening, Fall gardening and of course Container gardening. So here we are.  The heat of summer has gotten to your garden.  No matter how hard you tried to save what you could the heats probably going to win.

Know Your Zone

U.S. Zone Map

What is a USDA Hardiness Zone Map and why is it an important tool to any gardener?  The map on the right is a simple breakdown of the current US zones.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture first published the zone map in 1960.  Based on a plants resilience and a zones climate the formulation is not without flaws.  The ever changing weather conditions have required several revisions, most recently just this year.  Still, it is a handy guide to comparing climates and determining what might be the most appropriate time to begin planting.  Example:  I live in the heart of heat and drought where Spring gardening is earlier than other regions.  The winters are also milder which tends to extend the duration of fall gardening.

Save Your Garden

Don't let your garden look like this

It is the most harmful element to any vegetation.  It is particularly deadly to crops.  One day your hard word is luscious, green and productive.  A few weeks later it could look as if it will barely survive.  You can control the weeds and insects.  You can't control the heat.  Don't panic.  You can still protect you crops if you know the right precautions.

Never water your garden during the heat of the afternoon.  Water droplets reflect heat and scorch the plants foliage.  Always water during early morning or late evening hours.  Better yet if at all possible buy a 75ft soaking hose and lay it through the middle of the garden.  Turn it on for about twenty minutes every morning.  Your sure to get plenty of water to the right places.

Aerate the ground.  Soil that has become hardened during the hot days of summer will only allow run off of water.  Use a rate or hoe to loosed up the dirt to allow proper soaking to the right areas of crops.