Episode 1: Fall Heat, Pests & More
It's time for that fall transition! In this one, Mark answers all-things fall planting, harvest and persistent September heat.
More of a reader? Look down below for a written version of this month's questions.
Mentioned In This Video
Questions & Answers In This Video
[{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Bryan from Ohio\n","italic":true},{"type":"text","value":"\nA: The first place to start is with a soil test, if you haven't already done one. There are nutrients that help your plants deal with drought and heat stress, so if they're properly fed, they will perform better in the heat. Also, start early by keeping your plants mulched throughout the summer and well-watered. For crops that like it a little cooler, plant them on the shadier side of tall crops like tomatoes or pole beans or things like that."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: How do I deal with September heat and its effects on my plants?"},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Amy from Idaho ","italic":true},{"type":"text","value":"\n\nA: Whatever you plant, plant it as soon as possible and keep it well watered. In shorter growing season areas like Idaho, you can plant lettuce and radish and spinach—real short-season stuff like that. In the longer-season warmer zones carrots and beets, which will be marginal; kale, collards, mustards, turnips all should do well. Even if they don't come to maturity, you’ll have plenty of greens from all those crops to eat. Another thing that would help is to use a floating row cover, that gives you several degrees of frost protection."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: What can I plant in September?"},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Judy from Kentucky","italic":true},{"type":"text","value":"\n\nA: Those are harlequin bugs, and they're a tough customer. Harlequin bugs love anything in the cabbage family: Kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower…you get the idea. And what they do is probe the leaf and suck the juices out of it and release something in there that deforms the leaves. If you have enough damage, it can end up killing your plants. \n\nThe best strategy for most pests is restricting their access. Cover cold crops (and other things) with a "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/super-light-insect-barrier?srsltid=AfmBOop6jq9MpDdq5QMJiesz2U066cnG6_xoHIKwfsaavzBy2v4YOq-1","title":null,"target":"_blank","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Super-Lite Insect Barrier"}]},{"type":"text","value":". Just lay it over your plantings and weight it down on the edges, and it keeps insects from accessing your plants and sucking. If you don't use insect barriers, you can squash the bugs if there's not too many. If not, you'll have to use an insecticide on them like "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/soap-shield-fungicidal-soap","title":null,"target":"_blank","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Soap Shield®"}]},{"type":"text","value":" or another lightweight pesticide that'll knock them down."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: I have orange and black bugs destroying my kale. What are these and how do I control them?!"},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Gary from Georgia","italic":true},{"type":"text","value":"\n\nA: You can fertilize if you're planting new plants, like your late-season crops in Georgia—you can lightly fertilize the bed when you prepare it. And you can also fertilize your plants with a water-soluble fertilizer lightly throughout the season. Fall crops are often very leafy crops, so they require a little bit more nitrogen. It’s really helpful to get a soil test done, so you don't overdo it on any certain nutrient. But yes—it is all right to feed your vegetables in the fall."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: Should I fertilize my garden in September?"}]
[{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"G"},{"type":"text","value":"erald from Zone 6","italic":true}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: Soaking garlic cloves before planting may be beneficial. While I’ve never seen any studies comparing soaked vs. unsoaked garlic, there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence from home gardeners and commercial gardeners that it is beneficial. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"There are several reasons to soak garlic cloves:"}]},{"listType":"unordered","type":"list","children":[{"type":"list-item","children":[{"type":"text","value":"The first is for fertility. You want to soak them in a mild fertilizer solution or liquid kelp. This gives the clove an extra burst of fertility early on. "}]},{"type":"list-item","children":[{"type":"text","value":"The other main reason is to protect the plant from pests and diseases. Usually these solutions consist of a disinfectant or a mycorrhizal inoculant. The disinfectant is meant to kill mold spores and certain insects, and the mycorrhizal inoculant colonizes the garlic roots and protects it from pests and diseases. It also helps the garlic plant absorb more nutrients from the soil. "}]}]}]},"question_title":"Q: Is it helpful to soak garlic before planting? "},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"From Gerald in Zone 6","italic":true}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: Mid-October to mid-November is a great time to shoot for planting your "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/collections\/garlic-bulbs","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"garlic"}]},{"type":"text","value":". Last year in my garden, I planted garlic the first of the month, from September through February. All the garlic that I planted produced usable bulbs—however the earlier plantings in September, October and November did produce a much larger bulb. "}]}]},"question_title":"Q: When is the best time to plant garlic in my zone?"},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"From Wayne in Southern NJ","italic":true}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: The best time to prune "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/collections\/fruits-and-berries","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"fruit trees"}]},{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msocom_1","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[KF1]"}]},{"type":"text","value":" in your area is late winter to early spring. I wouldn’t recommend a fall pruning unless you want to remove a damaged or broken limb. Fall pruning leaves the tree’s pruning scars susceptible to pests, diseases, and winter damage. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Fall—or after the plant has dropped its leaves and gone dormant—is a good time for a "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/fruit-trees-alive-fertilizer","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"light\nfeeding with fertilizer"}]},{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msocom_2","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[KF2]"}]},{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msocom_3","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[BG3]"}]},{"type":"text","value":" or a top dressing of compost. The roots will remain active and absorb nutrients, and the plant will be able to use the nutrients in the spring. Remember to not\napply excess amounts of fertilizer, as many fruit trees are already aggressive growers, and too much fertilizer can cause excessive growth the following spring. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Learn more about pruning apple trees with this video: "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/pages\/how-to-prune-an-apple-tree-in-late-winter-and-early-fall-video","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"How To Prune An Apple Tree In Late Winter"}]},{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msoanchor_1","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[KF1]"}]},{"type":"text","value":"This may be more specific: "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/collections\/fruit-trees-fast-growing","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/collections\/fruit-trees-fast-growing"}]},{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msoanchor_2","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[KF2]"}]},{"type":"text","value":"This product is OOS - not sure if you'd want to link to fertilizer category instead?"}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msoanchor_3","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[BG3]"}]},{"type":"text","value":"dang, the one fertilizer we need! Yes, lets link to the page since he doesn't mention a product by name anyway. I revised the hyperlink to: "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/collections\/plant-foods-and-fertilizers","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"Foods \u0026 Fertilizers | Gurney's Seed \u0026 Nursery Co."}]},{"type":"text","value":" "},{"type":"link","url":"#_msoanchor_4","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"[KF4]"}]},{"type":"text","value":"Interlinking would be ideal - but this article's full title \"how to prune an apple tree in late winter and early fall\" is likely a typo that should say \"early spring\" instead of \"early fall\""}]}]},"question_title":"Q: Is it true that you shouldn’t fertilize or prune your fruit trees in the fall?"},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"From J.R. ","italic":true}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: The first step would be to snug all those "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/collections\/grow-tubs","title":null,"target":null,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"grow bags"}]},{"type":"text","value":" up against the house, preferably in a shady spot under an eve. That’ll make controlling the winter moisture easier. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Next, you want to insulate around the pots. You can use foam board, a bag of leaves, cushions from your outdoor furniture—whatever you can do keep the cold and wind off those pots. You can even throw pine boughs over them."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: How can I best protect my bulbs planted in grow bags on my second-floor deck?"}]
[{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Tara from Zone 8","italic":true}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: When you're preparing your beds for planting, always add a light dose of fertilizer. I like to use "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/onions-alive-fertilizer","title":null,"target":"_blank","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Onions Alive!"}]},{"type":"text","value":" or "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/root-crops-alive-trade-fertilizer","title":null,"target":"_blank","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Root Crops Alive!"}]},{"type":"text","value":" if I have them, or at the very least, a light touch of nitrogen that'll help the plant get off to a good fertile start. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Planting time is the next thing you need to consider. In Zone 8, you have a pretty wide window. For your biggest bulbs, the best time to plant would be from late October through November. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Variety selection is also important. You did well by planting softneck garlic because they tend to do better in the warmer zones. But you can also grow hardnecks. You're on that border where you can grow hardnecks in the porcelain group, like "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/garlic-hardneck-music","title":null,"target":"_blank","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Music"}]},{"type":"text","value":" or "},{"type":"link","url":"https:\/\/www.gurneys.com\/products\/great-lakes-garlic","title":null,"target":"_blank","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Great Lakes"}]},{"type":"text","value":". Once you have your variety selected, always plant the largest cloves: Larger cloves will give you larger cloves. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Spacing is also important. You don't want your garlic plants too close because then they compete for the food, water and light. For larger heads of garlic, I like a 6 in. spacing and mulch right away to keep moisture levels consistent and keep winter weeds down. Then water them right when you're finished planting so those garlics initiate rooting quickly. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"The following spring, when plants start to actively grow, you can feed them again. You can use liquid or granular food, whatever you have. And if you're watering a bunch, you'll be leaching that fertilizer out quicker. So, you could split your fertilizer applications up through the season. After that, through the summer, just keep it weeded and watered. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Finally, if you're growing hardneck garlic, cut the scapes off. The scape is the flower stem that comes up at the top and it'll curl. I cut mine off pretty quickly because I like to eat them. A lot of people eat them. And the longer you leave it on, the harder and woodier and more unpalatable it will be. If you leave them on for the life of the garlic, it cuts way down on the size of your bulbs and cloves."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: The softneck garlic I planted last year grew into perfectly formed but VERY small bulbs. I didn’t have any pest problems. What did I do wrong? "},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Denice and Jeff in Zone 7","italic":true}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: This is a common question right now. First, don't be too anxious to bring in or protect these pots. Let them experience several light freezes so it sends the plants into dormancy. The apple tree in particular will lose its leaves. Blackberries are sometimes more reluctant. After they've gone into dormancy, you can bring them into an unheated garage, as long as you’re able to move the pots. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"But make sure you keep an eye on the watering. You won't have to water them all the time, but when they're in the garage, they're not getting any outside rain. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"The other thing you can do is pull them up against the side of your house and seal them in with leaves to protect the pots. You really don't want the roots’ base in the pots to freeze. A shady spot is best because you don't want that winter sun cycle. You know: The freezing and thawing that really contributes to tissue death in the plant. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"If these pots are too big to bring in, and you have them out in the garden, you can dig a hole and set the pot down in there. And that will be particularly good for the apple or the blackberry. But sometimes they're a little less hardy. You may want to take it out of the pot or tip the pot over and just cover it with leaves—I’ve done that with fig trees and it works great. Be careful doing that with young apple trees, though, because rabbits love to eat the bark. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"You can wrap the blackberry bush with some fabric and then cover it with leaves, to make sure it has just a little protection. And just make sure they're staying watered through the winter."}]}]},"question_title":"Q: We have apple trees and thornless blackberry plants that grow in pots. What do we do with them in the winter?"},{"answer":{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Ruth in Zone 9","italic":true},{"type":"text","value":" "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"A: In Zones 8-10, you don't really have to do much winter protection. You might want to mulch for soil retention. And if they’re newly planted plants, mulching would be good for preventing frost heaving. You want to wait until the plants are dormant, and that requires them to get frozen several times. Usually where I am in southern Ohio, that would be December or late November. It all depends on the weather. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"When the plants are finally dormant, you can use 2-4 in. of straw for mulch. Just spread it out over the bed, nestle it in around the plants, add a little bit on the top of the plants. If you want, you can also use a frost blanket. You just open it up and lay it out over your patch and pin it down. "}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"For strawberries in containers, in Zones 8-10 they’ll be fine. In colder zones you should protect them by putting them in your unheated garage or something like that. Just keep them out of inclement weather. "}]}]},"question_title":"Q: How do I winterize my strawberry plants?"}]
Bryan from Ohio
A: The first place to start is with a soil test, if you haven't already done one. There are nutrients that help your plants deal with drought and heat stress, so if they're properly fed, they will perform better in the heat. Also, start early by keeping your plants mulched throughout the summer and well-watered. For crops that like it a little cooler, plant them on the shadier side of tall crops like tomatoes or pole beans or things like that.
Amy from Idaho
A: Whatever you plant, plant it as soon as possible and keep it well watered. In shorter growing season areas like Idaho, you can plant lettuce and radish and spinach—real short-season stuff like that. In the longer-season warmer zones carrots and beets, which will be marginal; kale, collards, mustards, turnips all should do well. Even if they don't come to maturity, you’ll have plenty of greens from all those crops to eat. Another thing that would help is to use a floating row cover, that gives you several degrees of frost protection.
Judy from Kentucky
A: Those are harlequin bugs, and they're a tough customer. Harlequin bugs love anything in the cabbage family: Kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower…you get the idea. And what they do is probe the leaf and suck the juices out of it and release something in there that deforms the leaves. If you have enough damage, it can end up killing your plants.
The best strategy for most pests is restricting their access. Cover cold crops (and other things) with a Super-Lite Insect Barrier. Just lay it over your plantings and weight it down on the edges, and it keeps insects from accessing your plants and sucking. If you don't use insect barriers, you can squash the bugs if there's not too many. If not, you'll have to use an insecticide on them like Soap Shield® or another lightweight pesticide that'll knock them down.
Gary from Georgia
A: You can fertilize if you're planting new plants, like your late-season crops in Georgia—you can lightly fertilize the bed when you prepare it. And you can also fertilize your plants with a water-soluble fertilizer lightly throughout the season. Fall crops are often very leafy crops, so they require a little bit more nitrogen. It’s really helpful to get a soil test done, so you don't overdo it on any certain nutrient. But yes—it is all right to feed your vegetables in the fall.
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