Garden tips for September Garden tips for September (September 02, 2005)

Even if you delegate the work, keep an eye on the garden

by Jack McKinnon

Landscape maintenance in all its forms is challenging and there are gardeners of all different skill levels. Finding a good gardener is becoming one of the more challenging tasks for property owners. This month's tips will not only focus on what to do in your garden in September but on how to get it done.

1. As soon as bulbs appear in the nurseries, plan on stocking up. The earlier you get your bulbs, the better a choice you will have. In most cases the bigger the bulb, the better will its flower show be.

2. Prepare your beds for fall planting including compost, fertilizer, bulbs and cover plants. Have all materials and equipment on hand before pulling the existing plants.

3. Many mow-blow-and-go gardeners do not understand good bed-building and maintenance. Communicate clearly that your garden beds need to be clean, tidy, cultivated to at least 12 inches with three to four inches of compost tilled or turned into the soil before planting.

4. Seed beds need to have the top two to three inches of soil very fine in order to give the seeds a good start. Sift soil with compost to make a top layer that is ideal for your seeds. Vegetables planted in rows will need to be thinned and both annuals and vegetables planted from seed will need to be weeded. Protect seedlings from birds by netting and from snails by putting out bait.

5. Children can learn gardening very young by starting seeds between damp paper towels and then transplanting them into the ground. Good seeds to start with are radishes, carrots, chard, garlic and snap peas. An avocado seed can be started on a warm window sill by putting three toothpicks in the sides and suspending the wide end into a glass of water.

6. Sources for seeds that I like are Common Ground in Palo Alto (559 College Ave., (650) 493-6072) where you can buy seeds by the spoonful and "Renee's Garden," sold at hardware stores, nurseries and garden centers throughout the Bay Area. Her Web site has order links if you want to order on line (https://www.reneesgarden.com/default.htm). She also has "how to" links for what to buy, how to grow and all kinds of other tips on the Web site.

7. Learn how to fertilize by reading fertilizer labels. Read the ingredients, the directions, the application times, the types of fertilizer and the cautions and safety instructions. This is one of the best tips I have ever given.

8. September is lawn renovation time. This means aerating, thatching, reseeding and fertilizing. If your gardener doesn't do this you may want to hire a lawn specialty company like TruGreenChemlawn ((800) Trugreen) to take care of it for you.

9. Plant or divide and replant penstemon, salvia, delphinium, catmint, campanula, digitalis, phlox and Japanese anenome. Local nurseries will have these. Dig some compost into an 18-inch hole for a one-gallon plant; use a bigger hole for a five-gallon plant.

10. Monitor your gardener's work. Make a list of what you want done and what you don't want touched and have them check off the jobs as they are done. Then you can follow up with your inspection. Be sure to communicate any dissatisfaction you have and if it isn't working out, get out the paper and start interviewing new prospects.

Good Gardening.

Jack McKinnon worked in the Sunset Magazine gardens for 12 years and is now a garden coach. He can be reached at (650) 879-3261, or by e-mail at jcmckinnon@earthlink.net.

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