The weather will direct your efforts in the vegetable garden in early autumn–September. Frost may strike even the mildest regions in early autumn. Know the average first frost date for your area. This date will allow you to plan your garden activities; you may have plenty of days to get new crops in or you […] More
Vegetable crops will begin to take longer to ripen in September. Give melons, limas, and tomatoes more time to ripen naturally. Eggplants are ready for harvest when they are shiny. Beans, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, and summer squash will not ripen or mature once they are picked. They will keep for a week or two in […] More
The weather will direct your efforts in the vegetable garden in September. Frost may strike even the mildest of regions before the end of the month. Know the average first frost date for your area. This date will allow you to plan your garden activities and prepare for cold weather in advance. The average first […] More
September is the ninth month of the year these days, but under the old Roman calendar, September was the seventh month. The Latin word for “seven” is septem. The autumnal equinox will arrive on September 22 this year in the northern half of the world, summer will end and autumn will begin. September is one […] More
September brings in spring and ends winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The first day of spring in the southern part of the world this year is September 22. On this day, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. The time between sunrise and sunset is exactly 12 hours. March […] More
It really does feel like the end of summer here in the Sonoma Valley this week. The weather has turned breezy and slightly cooler. At the farm market in the Sonoma town plaza this past Tuesday evening a sweater was in order once the sun dipped below the valley edge. Our growers still have a […] More
Bean Scarlet Runner The heat lovers come into their own this time of year: melons, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, lima beans and corn. And the potato and sweetpotato crops will be coming on storng in the next weeks. Enjoy your visit to the farm market this week. Here’s a list of some of the crops that […] More
Radishes grow best in the cooler time of the year. Most are hardy to spring and autumn chills; a few varieties can withstand the summer heat. Sow seeds for small early varieties 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. Plant midseason or summer varieties in mid to late spring. Late varieties—called winter radishes—should be […] More
Cauliflower is a cool-season crop. Cauliflower thrives in temperatures between 57°F and 68°F (14°C-20°C). Set cauliflower seedlings in the garden about two or three weeks before the average last frost date, not earlier. Sow cauliflower seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before setting seedlings in the garden. Cauliflower grows best at 57° to 68°F (14°-20°C). […] More
Grow an early and late or main crop of celery each growing season. The early crop will be harvested in August; the late crop will be harvested in September or October, before the first fall frost. Start celery seed indoors. Sow seed for the early or August harvest in February. Set young plants in the […] More
Raspberries are perhaps the most delicate fruit. This makes them a good choice for home growing and fresh picking. Just harvested raspberries quickly pass from ripe to overripe. It is difficult to find them just right at the market; they should be eaten within a day or two of picking, otherwise, they should be frozen […] More
Average frost dates–the last frost in spring and the first frost in autumn–can be used to set seed starting dates for the crops you plan to grow. They can also be used to set harvest dates and to plan the extension of the growing season–both early and late. Most crops grow best during the frost-free […] More
Stephen Albert