Although the weather around the world has gotten more erratic with devastating consequences in so many places, California has been spared the worst extremes and has been relatively close to “normal” most of this year. It got warm right around the beginning of summer and here we are with the first rains of the season coming the second week of fall, right after our usual September heat wave. Even so, our gardens had many challenges during this summer growing season; it’s hard to imagine people getting much to harvest at all in places that have been blasting hot or under water much of the season.

 Our problems included blight on tomatoes, which Sara so sadly experienced and described in the last blog, very little stone fruit due to heavy March rains, lots of scab on apples, large populations of aphids in the spring, and spider mites and white flies during summer. And now that many Sonoma county gardens are finally in peak tomato harvest it is about to rain – which will cause ripe fruit to split! Better get out and harvest all that is close to fully ripe right away. I plan to make my big batch of salsa for canning early this week and have lots of red peppers to sauté and freeze.  If it gets warm and dry again, tomatoes, peppers and other warmth loving crops will continue to ripen through this month. But often by mid to late October these crops are best to clear out and make compost, plant cover crops or put down a mulch to protect the soil from the rain. Make sure to clean up fallen apples and other fruit to add to your compost too.

 I picked the last of my small plot of dry beans today and will be preparing that area for garlic planting later this month. I’ll be loosening the soil and working in more compost than  usual to keep the soil well fed through the 8 months the garlic will be in the ground. Although it’s getting too late to plant most fall crops now, you can still direct seed radishes, arugula, bok choy, mustard greens and spinach if you do so soon. Remember to keep a close eye on your young brassica plants now. I found quite a few green caterpillars munching away on the leaves of kale, broccoli and cabbage the other day. They are usually right along the mid rib of young leaves; take a look for them today! I just pick them off and squish them; I don’t expect to see them around for more than a month.  

 This is also a good time to put down a fresh layer of wood chips or other mulch that is resistant to breaking down in paths and around perennial plantings. If you do so before the first rains bring to life new grasses and weeds, it’s possible to keep them at bay. 

 And do write down those notes about your garden’s performance this summer. Your garden will be your best teacher but you need to be a good student – keeping records of which varieties you grow, planting and harvesting dates, and comments that you can use to modify what could be improved – or repeat your successes!

 Enjoy your last summer harvests and the coming of fall!

Wendy