After a very hot and sticky last week of August, the cooler forecast for this week looks pretty wonderful to me. Especially after some rains over the weekend, which help the radishes, arugula and cover crops we seeded really get growing!
September is a quieter time in the garden. The urgency of planting has mostly passed, with the exception of more cover crops. Cover crops? Those are plants grown to feed the soil, rather than to harvest. I like a mix of oats, peas, fava beans and daikon radish in the autumn. It includes a wide variety of plants that together provide great protection of the soil surface, while feeding the soil food web until the snow flies.
September is also a chance to tidy the garden (another way of saying weeding!), take care of the compost pile, mulch more paths and perennial crops, and take down tomato trellising. But first, we have to finish harvesting them! So enjoy lots of tomatoes in the next few weeks. Despite the late frost, we replanted the tomatoes and have an abundance of cherry, paste and slicer tomatoes. Tomato sandwich anyone?
