Hi! The Lazy Berkshire Gardener is back in town but a bit late for the deadline to send in this column. So, “Hello to the future from the not-so-distant past.”
Luckily, gardening can be pretty predictable based on where the sun shines from the sky. Perennial weeds like ground ivy, dandelions, and chickweed can be managed now with sprays that attack the whole root. Or dig out the entire plant and replace the area with fresh weed-free topsoil and ideally a native ground cover.
As we head into a long weekend for some (and not many gardeners) celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day (AKA Columbus Day), I want to remind us all that we garden here in the Berkshires on the ancestral homeland of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, currently living in Wisconsin. Please treat their lands with care.
Dig up dahlia, gladioli, and acidanthera after a light frost. The frost kills the foliage but not the bulb. That makes it easier to dig up the bulbs for storage. When you dig them up, allow the soil to dry over a few days. Then, brush off the dried soil and store in shredded newspaper in an open box in a cool, dark location. The paper absorbs moisture, and the box releases moisture.
Spring-flowering bulbs can be planted now. A trick for a natural look is to toss a collection of 10 to 20 bulbs over your shoulder and plant them where they land.
Daffodil bulbs (Narcissus varieties) are poisonous to rodents, and pests will leave the bulbs, leaves, and flowers alone. They come in shades of white to orange, trumpet style or double flowers too. Daffodils are the lazy way to enjoy spring bulbs for weeks. Others that are somewhat pest resistant are Snowdrops (Galanthus), Scilla, Chionodoxa, Fritillaria, and Allium. I have found that squirrels, chipmunks, and voles may still dig these up mostly for their own convenience. Because I have loosened the soil, they find it easier to bury their cache of acorns, walnuts, or butternuts.
Cover newly planted bulbs with chicken wire to prevent animals from digging them up. Tulips, hyacinth, and crocus can benefit from a bulb cage. Plant these bulbs in groups wrapped in a simple box of hardware cloth. The metal prevents voles from destroying the bulbs, but you still need to use a repellent where deer or rabbits may eat the flower buds in spring. I have contributed to this post about growing spring-flowering bulbs if you want to learn more. But generally, plant bulbs to a depth three times their length in a sunny location. And remember, since most bulbs will bloom before deciduous trees leaf out completely, you can plant bulbs under them too.
For lawn fans, keep mowing until cool weather stops growth. Gradually mow to lower and lower heights until blades are kept to two inches for better overwintering. Rake leaves off the lawn regularly—keep them in a pile near your compost for easy access to carbon to balance your food scraps. And remember: Keep weeds with mature seed heads out of the compost pile.
As frost threatens, annual vegetables start to yellow. Begin fall veggie garden cleanup now. Clear any flowering plant that has no time to complete the fruiting cycle. Lettuce, arugula, and spinach will still grow. Let them!
Open space in the vegetable garden is ready for you to plant garlic any time now into November. In my vegetable garden rotation, garlic follows squash and other cucurbits. As soon as these die back, I will plant a quick bit of buckwheat to turn in and enrich the soil with organic material. Next, I will plant the garlic cloves.
Hardneck garlic produces a scape and larger cloves. Softneck is easier to braid and produces many smaller cloves.
While nights are getting cooler; forecasts do not show a frost until late October. Nevertheless, save annual garden herbs by chopping with a mix of oil, salt, and pepper. Freeze the mix to use in winter in soups or sauces for a taste of summer. I also like to cut back the perennial herbs of tarragon, oregano, and thyme to dry since frost will kill the foliage.
Dry leafy herbs by cutting stems, wrapping together six or so at a time with twist ties, and then allow to dry in a paper bag. Label the bag with its contents! Thyme and oregano look very similar when dry. Freeze bunches of fresh parsley for winter recipes. Choose pumpkins and squash that are both ornamental and taste good.
For fresh kitchen herbs through the winter, sprinkle parsley or basil seed onto the surface of regular potting mix, moisten, and put in a sunny window to sprout. Snip off herb tips once plants reach four to six inches tall, and snip no more than a third of the plants at a time.
It is still planting weather. Another fall foliage powerhouse would be Fothergilla. In autumn, this plant’s foliage turns red, orange, and yellow.
And a Lazy Berkshire Gardener reminder: The ground will freeze solid in December. If you want a “live” Christmas tree, find a spot and prepare the planting hole now. You can purchase the evergreen tree later and enjoy it for a day inside in December.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
