Love the Picnic Table – Hate the Pests
Sep 2nd, 2010 by Kathy
When thinking about Labor Day weekend, people often picture large backyard cookouts, where burgers are sizzling on the grills, folks are gathered around the picnic tables, and every patio chair, porch swing, glider, and garden bench is occupied.
Of course, not everyone is into this kind of mob scene. As difficult as it is for many to imagine, there are those who have other things that they would rather be doing on their holidays, besides socializing with tons of people. Furthermore, even if some are planning to attend one of the events that they are invited to, they may not wish to be overwhelmed with hectic schedules of party-hopping for three days straight.
After all, it is a long weekend; and, because the fair weather may be waning soon, some people look at it as an opportunity to get things done around their houses, before it gets too cold to work outside. They may be looking forward to getting their gardening tools and wheelbarrows out of their sheds, and spending their holidays just getting dirty in their yards.
Actually, September is one of the favorite months for gardeners, as the temperatures are cooler and more comfortable for working. At the same time, it’s usually still warm enough for them to relax on their porch chairs or hammocks when they want to rest; and there will be a great need for that, because they have plenty of outdoor chores to keep them busy now.
While many people believe that the only thing to be done in the fall is to reap what was sown in the spring, if you’re a gardener, you know that this is not true. There is still a lot of planting to do, along with regular maintenance and preparations that will give your lawn and garden a head start on looking their best next year.
For example, the end of the summer is the ideal period for planting several varieties of perennials, shrubs, and trees, including, in many regions, evergreens and heathers. By putting them into the ground now, you will give them time to establish their roots over the winter months, so that they can produce healthy foliage in the spring.
If you’re not going to be hanging out with the crowds this weekend, you can enjoy browsing nurseries for trees and shrubs that will thrive in your area. You may want to select some that have edible berries for winter wildlife, or choose ones with leaves that will exhibit spectacular fall colors.
Once the soil temperature drops to below 60 degrees, you can also begin planting the bulbs of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, about three times as deep as their diameters. Although some people like their tulips in neat rows, you can create a magnificent group display, by planting up to twenty bulbs in a hole that is one foot in diameter, making sure that they are not touching. If you want to add bursts of fall color, plant some mums, winter pansies, and flowering kale and cabbage.
You can also help to give your lawn a healthy start next spring, by keeping up with your raking. As fall is usually quite rainy, built-up leaves and grass clippings can turn into thick, wet clumps that are quite inviting to pests; and nobody wants that.
In fact, that’s the very reason why many people avoid large parties – because of all of the pests that are invited!
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
