With 2022 halfway over, it dawned on me that I have not been diligent in sending my newsletter this year. The last New Hort Thymes was published in February and was entitled "Dreaming of Spring". I chuckled a little bit after reading the insert, reflecting on our short spring and the fact that we're still in the midst of a hot, dry summer.

So now, I am dreaming of fall.

Fall is an excellent time to reinvigorate your gardening interests. The plants will be relieved as temperatures cool off. The vegetable garden can start over with fall plantings. By the end of September, garden centers will be filled with pansies and mums. Spring flowering bulbs can be planted through October, bringing promise of another gardening season.

• August is a good month to start fall vegetable gardens:
• Bush beans, cucumbers, and summer squash can be replanted for another crop
• Beets, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and other cool-season crops can also be planted at this time

• Continue protective insect applications on home fruit trees; a good spray schedule is often abandoned too early

• Towards the end of August, divide and replant spring-blooming perennials like iris, peonies, and daylilies

• Consider leaving annual seeds to self-sow; cosmos, cleome, and tickseed will reseed themselves for the next year

• Pull weeds as soon as they appear; weeds can grow very quickly in this warm weather

• Water compost during extremely dry periods so that it remains active

• Watch the temperatures and rainfall - consider adding supplemental irrigation to drought sensitive plants during the heat of the summer

• Grassy winter weeds can be prevented with a pre-emergent herbicide application in late August

• Check for grubs in the lawn; mid-to-late August is the best time to control infestations

• Tall fescue should be mowed at 3 inches during the hot summer

• Irrigated warm-season lawns can be fertilized once again in early August



• Discontinue deadheading roses by mid-August to help initiate winter hardiness

• Watch for second generation fall webworms in late August/early September