Summers on the way out

Now that summers on the way out we make plans for the fall.

Autumn is a perfect time of year to take care of all the work we put off due to lack of time during the busy summer. And who wants to work when it is hot and sticky.

The best way to make use of the time left before the snow flies is to make a game plan and prioritize. See what wants to be done and weigh it against what needs to get done. For example bringing in the tender plants will need to be done before frost is on the pumpkin while stacking pots and putting benches away can wait until the last minute.

We must remain mindful of the perennial stocks needs this time of year when the weather can be cool but dry. The cool weather can lull us into a false impression that the plants are fine because the temperature is not hot. In our case the plants in the beds need to be watered until the frost hits.

One chore that must not wait too long is making the greenhouse ready for plants that will be wintered over. This means making sure the plants that will be brought in are pest free and those already in the greenhouse are too. Keeping plants in a year round greenhouse can be a chore especially when we are using organic pest control.

The key is to find a good product and we use pyola. When we use it in a regular schedule it controls all the pests including fungus gnats, white flies, aphids and mealy bugs. The sad part is this product also will kill beneficial insects but we find the insects did not work in our case.

In any case we want to make sure everything is in order so we are not faced with a mad dash some night when the temperature is dipping into the teens.