September Gardening Calendar 2025

 

Let’s get ready for September in preparation to cooler temperatures by fertilizing annuals, perennials, and roses one last time for winter preparation. Check flowerbeds for pooped-out perennials such as Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, and Shasta Daisy. Trim dead flower heads and brown leaves for fall. Apply a new layer of mulch. Mulch helps keep the plants warm in winter and cool during summer months.

Fertilize Chrysanthemums and Salvia with a liquid plant food. You will be rewarded with blooms later in the fall.

Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, alyssum, and Snapdragons provide winter color through the spring and should be available by mid-September at garden centers. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds now. For a complete list of Fall Color Annuals.

September is a good time to divide and cut back perennials. Check your daylilies, irises, and monkey grass while the weather is still warm.

Are you planning to bring your Tropical Hibiscus in this winter? Place in a sunny window. Before bringing indoors as a precaution spray plants with Safer Soap and follow package directions.

Preserve excess Basil leaves by pureeing in a blender with ¼ cup of olive oil or water. Pour the mixture in ice trays and use the cubes in your wintertime Italian dishes.

Spring-flowering bulbs should be on sale. Plan to plant in mid-October or when the weather cools to the 60’s or below.

Start planning where you will place your Tropical Plants that spent the summer outdoors. Trim back, if necessary and inspect for insects. Spray with appropriate insecticide, if needed. I prefer to use horticulture oil on my houseplants. Horticulture oils are environmentally friendly and will give your Houseplants a nice shine along with killing any insects. For more information on Houseplants and tropical plants click here.

Are you planning a fall vegetable garden? Cool weather vegetable starts such as Arugula, Beets, beans, carrots, radishes, spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, Broccoli, Collards, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Peppers, green onions, celery, cutting celery, Chinese cabbage, turnips, swiss chard, lettuce, cauliflower, bok chop, and Snow Peas are good choices. Don’t have room to plant a fall vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? You can grow vegetables in a container. The container should be 16 inches or larger and for excellent success use a potting soil. For more information on Fall Vegetable Gardening Click Here.

The last week in September is the time to replace your mulch under your Roses and Red Tip Photinia to prevent diseases on next year’s leaves. Rake up any fallen leaves before replacing the mulch.

As the weather cools, this is a good time to plant shrubs and trees. When planting in the fall, it provides less stress on the plant and the roots start to get established in the ground. SuperThrive is the recommended concentrated solution of plant vitamins and hormones used to encourage plant and root growth and to revitalize stressed or dying plants. SuperThrive is not a fertilizer and can be mixed with your favorite liquid fertilizer. Dosage recommendation for transplanting or weekly use: ¼ of a teaspoon per gallon of water, or for larger projects 3 ounces to 100 gallons of water. To revitalize stressed or dying plants use: 1 ounce to five gallons of water and water the root zone or drip line. Then water every 3 – 5 days ¼ teaspoon to 1 gallon of water at the root zone or drip line. For bare root roses use: 1 ½ teaspoons per 5 gallons of water and soak for at least 30 minutes. Depending on your plant’s condition you may use weekly or monthly.

During drought or stressful conditions, it is wise to water established shrubs and trees. The recommended rate for trees is 15 gallons of water per each trunk diameter a week. Break up the amount of water to twice a week and use SuperThrive as recommended above.

I found another good additive to mix with water that will help get your new transplanted plants established. It is called Recharge from Real Growers. It’s a professional strength microbial superpack. Recharge helps and promotes stronger plants within 48 hours. I was skeptical, but I tried it and it really does work. That’s why I would recommend it when adding new plants to your landscape. You can mix Superthrive and Recharge together in water for excellent results.

Bermuda grass seed should be planted no later than September 15^th to ensure that the seeds germinate and become established before winter frost.

Brown Patch fungus is more apparent in the fall months. Prevention is the best cure by watering your lawn early in the morning before 10:00 AM or after 4:00 PM.

Mid-September is the last feeding for your lawns. Fertilize your lawn with a winterizer weed and feed to prevent spring-time weeds.

My photography is on display on different websites including my own HibiscusAndMore.com. The other sites that have my photography are: www.fineartamerica.com/art/cheryl+meola When you need images as stock check out the links below.

Need floral stock photography? Need botanical stock photography? Click on the links below.

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Cheryl+Ann+Meola   

https://stock.adobe.com/contributor/210785031/cheryl 

Cheryl has written several gardening books available now on her website HibiscusAndMore. Topics include Landscape Gardening, Butterfly Gardening, and Houseplants.

Happy Gardening. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2025.

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied.

 

August Gardening Calendar 2025

August Gardening Calendar

July and August forecast is predicting above average temperatures for most of the United States. For the past two weeks there have been heat advisory warnings daily and to use precautions while working outdoors. The best times to garden in an area that has heat advisories is early morning or late afternoon. When we garden during these heat advisories it is recommended to protect yourself from heat dangers by:

·         Stay out of the sun, if possible.

·         Drink plenty of cool water whether you are thirsty or not.

·         Wear loose, light-colored clothing, and sun screen. Try wearing clothes that use the Dri-Fit technology.

·         Try to schedule outdoor activities early mornings or late afternoons.

·         While working outdoors pace yourself and take a break when tired.

Prune Tropical Hibiscus you plan to bring indoors for the winter. Plan to place your plant in the sunniest window during the winter months. Trim back enough to fit your location indoors and bring your Hibiscus inside around December or before first frost. After pruning check your Hibiscus for insects and spray with appropriate insecticide. Now is a good time to fertilize your Hibiscus. Hibiscuses are heavy feeders and should be fertilized monthly.

Remove faded blooms and seedpods on your Crepe Myrtles. You may be rewarded with more blooms before first frost. The recommended fertilizer formulation for Crepe Myrtles is 10-15-9 or a similar combination. Don’t forget to fertilize your Crepe Myrtles.

Roses prune out dead canes, and weak, bushy growth. Cut back tall, vigorous bushes by 1/3 the original plant height. Fertilize roses on a monthly basis until October. After pruning you should see new blooms coming in about 6 weeks.

Azaleas Lace bugs on your Azaleas increase rapidly in summer. Check your Azaleas for insects. The damaged caused by these sucking insects looks like tiny white dots and the entire leaf is almost completely white. Spray with appropriate insecticide labeled for Azalea Lace Bugs.

Perennials Can be divided in August and transplanted else where in the garden. Perennials such as: summer phlox, peony, iris, and daylily. Perennials that have finished blooming for their season can be divided also.

Lawns check your grass for insects, especially for chinch bugs and white grubs. These insects are most active in the summer months. The signs for chinch bugs are irregular circles, and the grass is thin, and then dies. For white grubs, the signs are irregular circles, and the grass is loosely rooted. Check the soil underneath the loosely rooted grass by digging up the soil, the grubs should be about an inch down in the soil, if you have them. Apply the appropriate insecticide and follow the package directions carefully. Lawn Mower Blades should be sharpened once each summer. A sharpened lawn mower blade prevents shredding the grass, and giving your lawn a nice, clean cut.

Mulch check all shrub beds and trees for mulch thickness. We are experiencing extreme heat this summer and shrubs and trees that have 2 to 3 inches of mulch keeps the roots cool and helps the soil retain moisture. In winter 2-3 inches of mulch will keep the soil warm through the winter season.

Fruits and Vegetables Start planning your fall vegetable garden this August. Till the soil and add Gypsum and Composted Cottonseed hull. The additives lower the alkalinity and helps the soil stay loose. Tomatoes, Peppers, and Beans should be planted by August 1^st. Starter plants usually are available by August 15^th. Pick the varieties of tomatoes that mature in 65-70 days. Cool season vegetables, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, swiss chard, collards, spinach, kale, and snow peas are planted in September. Blackberry and Raspberry plants at this time of year have a tendency to trail along the ground. Take the trailing canes or runners and tie them back to their arbor. For more information on planting fall vegetables click to read my blog post Here. Seeds for cool season vegetables can be started now for planting in September.

Seeds sow cool season seeds of snapdragons, dianthus, pansies, calendulas, and sweet alyssum to be planted in mid to late fall. Sow seeds of bluebonnets and other spring wildflowers this month to be planted in the garden. The wildflowers will establish a root system during the fall for spring blooms.

Tropical Foliage Plants Check plants that are spending the summer outdoors for insects. Use an insecticidal soap, if needed. Your houseplants can be fertilized biweekly with a water-soluble plant food. Hibiscus and More has a wonderful selection of gardening books. Click to order.

August is a good time to start thinking about fall bulbs. Mail-order houses usually have early bird specials for consumers who order early.

Discover the beauty of nature with Hibiscus and More, where you can explore a stunning collection of fine art prints that bring the garden to your home.

Cheryl Meola’s Plant Photography on Merchandise. The website features clothing, home décor, puzzles, and greeting cards to customize for any occasion. https://cherylann-meola.pixels.com

Floral & Foliage Stock Photography.  Stock Photography.

Botanical & Seasonal Stock Photography. Stock Photography.

Need more gardening advice? Follow our BlogSpot for current sales, daily specials, and sound gardening advice. Simply click on Join This Site Link Under Followers. Sign Up Is Free. View Current Blog Post Click Here.

Have a wonderful summer. Stay hydrated, keep cool, and go to the shade when starting to feel weak. Happy Gardening.

©Cheryl Ann Meola - Certified Texas Nursery Professional #1282

September Gardening Calendar 2024

 

September Gardening Calendar 2024

Let’s get ready for September in preparation to cooler temperatures by fertilizing annuals, perennials, and roses one last time for winter preparation. Check flowerbeds for pooped-out perennials such as Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, and Shasta Daisy. Trim dead flower heads and brown leaves for fall. Apply a new layer of mulch. Mulch helps keep the plants warm in winter and cool during summer months.

Fertilize Chrysanthemums and Salvia with a liquid plant food. You will be rewarded with blooms later in the fall.

Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, alyssum, and Snapdragons provide winter color through the spring and should be available by mid-September at garden centers. For a complete list of Fall Color Annuals Click Here For More Information. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds now.

September is a good time to divide and cut back perennials. Check your daylilies, irises, and monkey grass while the weather is still warm.

Are you planning to bring your Tropical Hibiscus in this winter? Place in a sunny window. Before bringing indoors as a precaution spray plants with Safer Soap and follow package directions.

Preserve excess Basil leaves by pureeing in a blender with ¼ cup of olive oil or water. Pour the mixture in ice trays and use the cubes in your wintertime Italian dishes.

Spring-flowering bulbs should be on sale. Plan to plant in mid-October or when the weather cools to the 60’s or below.

Start planning where you will place your Tropical Plants that spent the sfall annualsummer outdoors. Trim back, if necessary and inspect for insects. Spray with appropriate insecticide, if needed. I prefer to use horticulture oil on my houseplants. Horticulture oils are environmentally friendly and will give your Houseplants a nice shine along with killing any insects. For more information on Houseplants and tropical plants click here.

Are you planning a fall vegetable garden? Cool weather vegetable starts such as Arugula, Beets, beans, carrots, radishes, spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, Broccoli, Collards, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Peppers, green onions, celery, cutting celery, Chinese cabbage, turnips, swiss chard, lettuce, cauliflower, bok chop, and Snow Peas are good choices. Don’t have room to plant a fall vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? You can grow vegetables in a container. The container should be 16 inches or larger and for excellent success use a potting soil. For more information on Fall Vegetable Gardening Click Here.

The last week in September is the time to replace your mulch under your Roses and Red Tip Photinia to prevent diseases on next year’s leaves. Rake up any fallen leaves before replacing the mulch.

As the weather cools, this is a good time to plant shrubs and trees. When planting in the fall, it provides less stress on the plant and the roots start to get established in the ground. SuperThrive is the recommended concentrated solution of plant vitamins and hormones used to encourage plant and root growth and to revitalize stressed or dying plants. SuperThrive is not a fertilizer and can be mixed with your favorite liquid fertilizer. Dosage recommendation for transplanting or weekly use: ¼ of a teaspoon per gallon of water, or for larger projects 3 ounces to 100 gallons of water. To revitalize stressed or dying plants use: 1 ounce to five gallons of water and water the root zone or drip line. Then water every 3 – 5 days ¼ teaspoon to 1 gallon of water at the root zone or drip line. For bare root roses use: 1 ½ teaspoons per 5 gallons of water and soak for at least 30 minutes. Depending on your plant’s condition you may use weekly or monthly.

During drought or stressful conditions, it is wise to water established shrubs and trees. The recommended rate for trees is 15 gallons of water per each trunk diameter a week. Break up the amount of water to twice a week and use SuperThrive as recommended above.

I found another good additive to mix with water that will help get your new transplanted plants established. It is called Recharge from Real Growers. It’s a professional strength microbial superpack. Recharge helps and promotes stronger plants within 48 hours. I was skeptical, but I tried it and it really does work. That’s why I would recommend it when adding new plants to your landscape. You can mix Superthrive and Recharge together in water for excellent results.

Bermuda grass seed should be planted no later than September 15^th to ensure that the seeds germinate and become established before winter frost.

Brown Patch fungus is more apparent in the fall months. Prevention is the best cure by watering your lawn early in the morning before 10:00 AM or after 4:00 PM.

Mid-September is the last feeding for your lawns. Fertilize your lawn with a winterizer weed and feed to prevent spring-time weeds.

My photography is on display on different websites including my own HibiscusAndMore.com. The other sites that have my photography are: www.fineartamerica.com/art/cheryl+meola When you need images as stock check out the links below.

Need floral stock photography? Click here. Need botanical stock photography? Click here.

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Cheryl+Ann+Meola   

https://stock.adobe.com/contributor/210785031/cheryl 

Cheryl has written several books on gardening available on Amazon Click on the links to view. Landscape Gardening, Butterfly Gardening, and Houseplants.

Happy Gardening. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2023. Certified Texas Nursery Professional #1282

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied.

 

Halloween Decor and October Gardening Calendar

 

October Gardening Calendar – 2022

As the gardening calendar turns to October the fall season begins to unfold with beautiful cooler weather and the start of seasonal color changes. The season brings all of us gardener’s wonderful cooler weather to get out in our garden and perform our October gardening calendar tasks. I would like to mention a few gardening tips for the month of October.

Plant New Shrubs, Trees, and Perennials: Have you been thinking about replacing a few shrubs that just did not quite get established in the landscape or just need to be replaced, or planting a new shade or flowering tree that you just cannot live without in your landscape? Now, is the time to start thinking about making that purchase? The fall season is an excellent time to add new shrubs, trees, and perennials to your landscape. This time of year, will let your newly planted shrubs, trees, and perennials to get a head start by developing and establishing new root growth in the soil. Garden centers advertise Fall is For Planting with several fall sales and advice. Plant a tree to help combat Climate Change.

Fall Color Annuals and Fall Bulbs: Fall color annuals and bulbs are ready to purchase at your local retail garden center. Add a little color to your garden this season by planting these wonderful, low maintenance beauties. Mentioned in the fall color annuals newsletter, you can still plant annuals in a container even if you have a garden. Fall color containers make wonderful accent pieces to your patio, deck, front porch, or any outdoor living space. Purchase your fall bulbs early for spring color. A few varieties can be used for forcing color for the holidays. For More Information On Fall Color Annuals: Click Here. For More Information On Fall Bulbs: Click Here.

Fall Vegetables: If you are planning to start a fall vegetable garden early, October is the best time to purchase your vegetable starts. Broccoli, cabbage, collards, beets, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, onion, kale, spinach will grow excellent in the fall. Don’t have room to plant your fall vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? A planting container 16 inches or larger can be used to grow fall vegetables. For More Information on Fall Vegetables: Click Here.

Mulching: Rake up all the old mulch under your crabapples, red tip photinia, roses, and replace. This will help prevent diseases on next year’s new leaves. The plants listed are prone to diseases. With all new plants planted in the fall in is highly recommended to add 4 – 6 inches of mulch. Mulch acts as an insulator in fall and winter and in spring and summer will help keep your plants cool.

Composting: Fall is a good time to start composting all the leaves falling off the trees. Composting is a natural form of recycling that continually occurs in nature. Studies have shown that by home composting you can divert an average of 700 pounds per household per year from the waste stream. In addition to the leaves, you can compost kitchen scraps such as, apples, carrots, onions, potatoes peels; tea leaves, coffee grounds, yard clippings, or anything else organic. Your planting beds and garden plants will enjoy the treat. For my information on composting Click Here.

Weeds: Apply a pre-emergent weed killer to lawn and shrub bed areas. The pre-emergent works by killing the weed seeds from germinating. The application will last about three months or longer. Check package label for how long the product last and when to reapply next application. This product does not kill existing weeds, existing weeds need to be pulled or spray with a weed killer.

Halloween Decorations: Halloween is only 3 weeks away and we have wonderful Halloween Decorations and Home Decor. To View all Halloween Decorations, Click Here. 40% off Halloween Decor Click Here.

Need botanical stock photography? Click Here.

Cheryl Meola © 2022.   

Spooky Halloween - Cheryl Meola © 2022. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September Gardening Calendar 2012

September Gardening Calendar

Check flowerbeds for pooped-out perennials such as Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, and Shasta Daisy. Trim dead flower heads and brown leaves for fall.

Fertilize Chrysanthemums and Salvia with a liquid plant food. You will be rewarded with blooms later in the fall.

Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, and Snapdragons provide winter color through the spring and should be available by mid-September at garden centers. For a complete list of Fall Color Annuals. Click Here For More Information. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds.

Now is the time to divide Monkey Grass, Iris, and Daylily while the weather is still warm. 

Are you planning to bring your Tropical Hibiscus in this winter? Place in a sunny window.

Preserve excess Basil leaves by pureeing in a blender with ¼ cup of water. Pour the mixture in ice trays and use the cubes in your wintertime Italian dishes.

Spring-flowering bulbs should be on sale. Plan to plant in mid-October or when the weather cools to the 60’s or below.

Start planning where you will place your Tropical Plants that spent the summer outdoors. Trim back, if necessary and inspect for insects. Spray with appropriate insecticide, if needed. I prefer to use horticulture oil on my houseplants. Horticulture oils are environmentally friendly and will give your Houseplants a nice shine along with killing any insects. Check out our selection of Tropical Plants.

Are you planning a fall vegetable garden? Cool weather vegetable starts such as Broccoli, Collards, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Peppers, and Snow Peas are good choices. Don’t have room to plant your fall vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? Our handcrafted cedar planters are the answer and are an excellent choice to grow your own vegetables. Cedar Planters are 10% off. Click To Order. For more information onFall Vegetable Gardening Click Here.

The last week in September is the time to replace your mulch under your Roses and Red Tip Photinia to prevent diseases on next year’s leaves.

As the weather cools, this is a good time to plant shrubs and trees. When planting in the fall, it provides less stress on the plant and the roots start to get established in the ground. SuperThrive is the recommended concentrated solution of plant vitamins and hormones used to encourage plant and root growth and to revitalize stressed or dying plants. SuperThrive is not a fertilizer and can be mixed with your favorite liquid fertilizer. Dosage recommendation for transplanting or weekly use: ¼ of a teaspoon per gallon of water, or for larger projects 3 ounces to 100 gallons of water. To revitalize stressed or dying plants use: 1 ounce to five gallons of water and water the root zone or drip line. Then water every 3 – 5 days ¼ teaspoon to 1 gallon of water at the root zone or drip line. For bare root roses use: 1 ½ teaspoons per 5 gallons of water and soak for at least 30 minutes. Depending on your plant’s condition you may use weekly or monthly. 

During drought or stressful conditions it is wise to water established shrubs and trees. The recommended rate for trees is 15 gallons of water per each trunk diameter a week. Break up the amount of water to twice a week and use SuperThrive as recommended above.

Bermuda grass seed should be planted no later than September 15^th to insure that the seeds germinate and become established before winter frost.

Brown Patch fungus is more apparent in the fall months. Prevention is the best cure by watering your lawn early in the morning before 10:00 AM or after 4:00 PM.

Mid-September is the last feeding for your lawns. Use a winterizer fertilizer for best results.

Don’t forget to check our website Hibiscus and More.

Hibiscus And More now offers Halloween Decorations. Click Here to View. Please allow 7 to 10 days for delivery.

Cheryl Ann Meola

Certified Texas Nursery Professional #1282

Fall Vegetable Gardening

Fall Vegetable Gardening

With the arrival of August, and the month of September just around the corner we need to start planning our fall vegetable garden. There are numerous vegetables that require a cool growing season rather than a warm growing season. For my readers that reside in USDA Zones: 11, 10, 9, and 8 you get the benefits of having two vegetable growing seasons, one in the spring and one in the fall. As the weather cools in your area, and as gardeners we start thinking about fall and what fall brings to us; it’s time to start gardening again. With this in mind I would like to mention the wonderful benefits of a fall vegetable garden.

Home-grown vegetables have a richer, fuller taste and tend to be fresher than store bought since you pick them yourself. Home-grown vegetables are easy and inexpensive to grow as well. Vegetable gardening can involve the entire family from the little ones to the teens. As well as being an educational tool, the time the family spends in the garden is quality time spent together, and can give one a sense of pride.

In today’s economy more and more families are finding ways to save money, and one way to save money on your grocery bill would be to start your own vegetable garden. Vegetables can be grown from seeds or vegetable starts, and more retail garden centers this year are reporting that vegetable starts and seeds are up from last year’s sales; and as a result of our current economy more families decide to spend more time at home and in the garden.

Some of you maybe thinking to yourself I have never grown vegetables before, and I don’t think I can grow vegetables. One of my task as a professional horticulturist to a private estate was to grow home-grown vegetables, and my thoughts were exactly the same; and as a Texas Certified Horticultural Professional I would advise our retail gardening customer’s on how to grow vegetables, but I never grew vegetables professionally. I took my vegetable gardening advice that I gave to my retail gardening customers, and my horticultural experience and put all that knowledge to the test. The results of the vegetable garden test are in the pictures included in this article.

The vegetable garden that I planted last year had a wide variety of root vegetables and above ground vegetables. Root Fall vegetables would include: potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, beets, radishes, shallots, and asparagus. Asparagus is the only fall perennial vegetable. You need to find a place where it can grow undisturbed for many years. The key to growing root vegetables is giving enough space in between each plant so the actual root (vegetable) will mature and not be misshapen because of planting to close. I grew Georgia Sweet onions from onion sets, Cherry Belle radishes, and Tall Top Early Wonder beets, all from seeds. The wonderful aspect of radishes is that the radishes mature in 22 days, and to have radishes all season replant your seeds every ten days. I was amazed and thrilled at how easy it was to grow vegetables from seed. The above ground Fall vegetables include: peppers, tomatoes, (with the peppers and tomatoes there are varieties to plant for the fall versus varieties for the spring), spinach, lettuce, snow peas, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, mustard, cauliflower, chard, and collards. For the above ground vegetables I grew from vegetable starts, green peppers, tomatoes; and from seed there was Snow Peas, Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce, Mesclun Sweet Salad lettuce, Little Caesar Romaine lettuce. For recommended varieties to your area, contact your local extension office.

When planning your vegetable garden, either from vegetable starts or seeds don’t forget to add a little color to the garden. In the last couple of years seed companies have established several different colors in vegetables. You can now purchase peppers, carrots, and tomatoes seeds that will produce a wide range of colors. You can purchase bell pepper seeds that come in ivory, lavender, chocolate brown, yellow, and orange. Wouldn’t some or all of those colors look wonderful in a fresh tossed salad or homemade stuffed bell peppers? Carrot seeds now come in colors of yellow, white, golden yellow, red, light and dark purple, and of course your typical orange. Your family will just go wild over the variety of colors that will adorn the family dinner table each evening. Tomato seeds are now available in different shades of red, orange, yellow, and even a dark brown. With all the vegetable colors that are available on the market today, you can now color coordinate your dinner plate with home-grown vegetables, and become the ultimate gourmet chef without paying a gourmet price tag.

Vegetable plants can be grown in a container or a special designated area in your yard. When considering a container versus a designated area there are a few considerations to be reviewed before deciding. Containers are excellent for growing a small amount of vegetables and a good choice, if you have a nice sunny patio or have a small sized yard. When growing vegetables in your yard the designated area that you choose should be in raised beds versus planted in your local soil. Vegetables plants require a loose and peat moss soil mixture. Purchasing landscape timbers or landscape edging at your local hardware store or home improvement store can easily do this.

Deciding a Location: Choose an area that gets 5 - 6 hours of full sun; and if, you have an area that receives more than 6 hours of sunlight that’s all right, too.

Deciding a Container(s): Choose a container that is 14 inches or larger, but the lettuces and radishes can be grown in smaller containers than recommended above.

Deciding a Soil: There are several potting soils on the market and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences. Some of the chooses are inorganic verses organic, with moisture control or without moisture control, with timed-release fertilizer or without fertilizer. Some potting soils are especially formulated for vegetables.

Deciding a Fertilizer: There are several fertilizers on the market and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences. Some of the chooses are water soluble, granular, time-release, slow-release, organic, or inorganic. Choose a fertilizer that is formulated for vegetable plants.

Choosing an Insecticide: Choosing an insecticide is a matter of your gardening preferences, and while I was growing the vegetable garden I had an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach method. I would only use Safer Soaps or Horticultural Oils on all the vegetables that I grew, and realistically I hardly had to spray the vegetables at all. I was constantly watching for any insect or worm that would start eating my prize vegetables, and when I did see one I would simply dispose of the insect.

Choosing a Vegetable Support: Some of the vegetable plants that I mentioned above will need to be staked or in need of a vegetable cage such as tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peas, cantaloupes, and sometimes peppers.

Watering: Of all the ingredients that I have mentioned for vegetable gardening success, water, is the most important to a successful vegetable garden. The soil for your vegetables will need to be consistently moist at all times, and the water source should be city water or treated water. This is one of the reasons for one of last’s years E. coil outbreaks; the vegetables that were recalled received untreated water during the growing process. More gardeners are starting to grow their own vegetables this year versus last year due to the recent E. coli outbreaks in store-bought produce. Just another reason to start growing your own vegetables, you supply the water, you supply the insecticide, and you know exactly what ingredients went into your vegetables. For states that are currently under water restrictions, you can water your food crops, personal food garden, or personal vegetable garden without penalty. Wash all vegetables before eating or cooking.

Planting: There are a few vegetables that do not like to be planted next to each other, and the vegetable combinations to avoid are:

Onions with peas or beans. Tomatoes or squash with potatoes.

Carrots with dill or fennel. Beans with onions and garlic.

Planting tomato Plants: Another planting rule that has always worked for me is to plant your tomato plants deeper than the original soil line, even if you grow your tomatoes from seed. When you are ready to plant your tomato plants remove two sets of leaves or four leaves total and plant the tomato plant that deep in the soil. You just do this with tomatoes and the reason for this procedure is that tomatoes will establish more roots along the stem where you removed the leaves, and tomatoes require a lot more water than the other vegetables mentioned in this article, and tomatoes are one vegetable that is a heavy feeder, i.e. tomatoes require a steady supply of fertilizer.

Put on your gardening gloves and reap the rewards and benefits of a fall vegetable garden. Tastier vegetables than store bought that you harvest on your own. As a vegetable gardener you know the ingredients, and there is nothing more rewarding than tasting the “vegetables” of your labors.

Visit: Hibiscus and More for weekly specials and sales.

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2007. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated.