Breaking ground
OCTOBER
We skated through the bulk of our growing season with flying colors, and then September happened.
We seemed to have gotten our droughty summer in one month. Most gardens were the driest they have been all season. One quick week of cooler weather — and maybe the calendar — had many of us thinking fall was here and we didn’t need to pay attention to watering anymore.
I have seen too many brown lawns, dying plants and falling leaves. I am truly worried about some of these plants surviving to grow another season.
If you have not been watering, pay attention and do it when your yard is dry. How well your plants head into fall and winter can determine how well they will begin growth next spring.
Now is a great time to start planting fall and winter color. If you haven’t visited your local nursery or garden center recently, you are in for a treat. Pansies and mums, snapdragons, flowering kale and edible kale, purple mustard, Swiss chard, asters, goldenrod and much, much more await. Make sure you do water when planting.
Spring-blooming bulbs can go into the ground from midmonth through the end of the year. You can plant the bulbs underground with pansies and winter annuals above. I like to wait for cooler weather to plant.
Daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths will come back year after year, but for most varieties of tulips, it is best to plant new bulbs each season. Treat them as annuals.
Fall vegetable gardens are still growing strong for those who kept up with their care. Many gardeners are seeing a resurgence of tomatoes and peppers, while okra and eggplant are also doing well. There is still time to put in transplants of broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard and kale. Most of these
plants can grow year-round with just minimal protection — when temperatures get below 28 degrees.
If you are finished gardening for the season, consider planting a cover crop or mulching your garden spot to prevent weeds from growing all winter.
October is when we move our houseplants indoors and any tropical plants into a protected spot. Try to move them when inside conditions match outside temperatures. If you wait through too many cool nights, the plants will have a much harder transition moving inside. Usually by mid-October they should be moved. If you are putting them into a garage or storage area without heat, then you can wait a bit longer.
Many perennials started their decline early this year. If the plants are looking bad, don’t wait for a frost to cut them back, do it now. If your spring- or summer-blooming perennials need to be divided, now is a great time to do so. By doing the work in the fall, we allow the roots to get established while the tops are dormant.
Now is also a great time to plant wildflower seeds and many perennials, including poppies, purple coneflowers, columbine, foxglove and the annual larkspur, Texas bluebonnets, bachelor’s buttons and cornflowers.
Practice good sanitation in the garden. We had a lot of diseases this season, and weeds were at an all-time high. As plants begin to play out, pull them up and get them out of the garden. If they were diseased, discard them; if not, add them to the compost pile.
Weeds continue to grow, and if you allow them to bloom and set seeds, you will have more next season. Summer weeds are nearing the end of their season, while winter weeds are beginning to grow. That is one thing we are almost never without in a garden — weeds! Use a good hoe or hand pull, mow and then mulch.
Pumpkins and gourds add instant color to a landscape, and with good choices, they can last for months. Choose a pumpkin that is blemish free and that still has a short stem.
PLANT OF THE MONTH
The jujube originated in China where the trees have been cultivated more than 4,000 years. Eventually they made it to the United States, but it wasn’t until 1908 that improved Chinese selections were introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ziziphus jujube is commonly called jujube, Chinese date or Arkansas date, since the mature fruit resembles and tastes somewhat like a date.
The jujube can withstand a wide range of temperatures — from hot summers to cold winters. Winter dormancy allows it to withstand temperatures to about minus 28 degrees, yet it requires only a small amount of winter chill in order to set fruit.
While it is not a common fruit in Arkansas, it does grow statewide. I was recently at a meeting in Northwest Arkansas where someone had brought the yellow-green fruits.
The fruit can vary from round to elongated and can be the size of a cherry or a plum, depending on cultivar. It has a thin, edible skin surrounding whitish flesh. The single hard stone inside contains two seeds.
The immature fruit is green but as it ripens it goes through a yellow-green stage with mahogany spots. The fully mature fruit is entirely red. Shortly after becoming fully red, the fruit begins to soften and wrinkle. The fruit can be eaten after it becomes wrinkled, but many people prefer them during the interval between the yellow-green stage and the full red stage. Then the flesh is crisp and sweet, reminiscent of an apple.
Under dry conditions jujubes lose moisture, shrivel and become spongy inside — date-like.
Plant the tree in a welldrained location in full sun. These deciduous trees are easy to grow and can reach 30 feet tall or taller.
They are pest-free and self-fruitful. You will have better production if the tree has ample moisture through the growing season. The fruits ripen in the fall and can be eaten fresh, dried or candied.