September 2008 In the Garden
( If you are reading this anywhere but my blog, you can find the original post here. )
Don’t get me wrong – I know it’s still hot – sometimes very hot in the September garden. Summer may be close to officially over, but summer temperatures will persist in the Northstate for another couple of months. But still – September in the garden is somehow different than August. It could be the cultural signs – school busses back on the roads, backpacked children standing by crossing guards, holiday homes and resort towns slowing down.
But beyond the cultural shifts, we – and our plants – know that while it still looks like summer, it feels different. One that’s different is the light. Both the quantity and the quality of the light. Of course the light is always shifting as the planet turns, giving us our seasons. But the shift of light is more noticeable at some times of year than others, Autumn is one of them
The Autumnal Equinox on September 23rd means that by early October we will have lost more than an hour and a quarter of daylight from early September. Our hours of daylight will almost equal to our hours of darkness. And the sunlight we get will come to us at more of a slant – which is softer and cooler. While this may not seem like much, it is enough to trigger that get-ready-for-the-coming-winter response in the deepest recesses of our brains. And the deepest recesses of our plants.
This primal response is all about storing food for winter and producing seed for future generations. With somewhat cooler temperatures coming and softer light, my energy has rebounded and I feel like making stews all of a sudden, the hummingbirds and quail, squirrels and wild turkey seem more voracious than ever, and my plants are putting on their end of season blooms and seeds. Plants with really noticeable seedheads – like the ornamental grasses -are outstanding right now gathering and reflecting light. Acorns and rose hips are beginning to take on their burnished fall colors. Roses, dahlias and lavender are blooming or re-blooming and will keep going until first frost. So remember to keep watering and weeding as needed. Almost like a bonus Spring, now is also a good time for most of us to plant: vegetables and herbs for Fall and winter harvest, perennials, shrubs and trees which will appreciate the extra time to get established before next summer’s peak heat, and, of course, plant bulbs now for the spring show.
The full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox is called the Full Harvest Moon and this year it falls on September 15th. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the Full Harvest moon is thought to be bright enough to finish harvesting.
Some upcoming events of interest to gardeners in the Northstate in September include The Butte Rose Society’s 14th Annual Roase show on September 20th in Chico, and Turtle Bay Exploration Park is hosting its annual Arts & Crafts Festival the last weekend of the month. More information and more garden related events visit the Events Calendar. As always, if there are events you would like to see listed, or topics you would like to see covered, send me an email: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com. And thanks to all of you who do email, it is always good to hear from you.
Finally, as of this month In a Northstate Garden is proud to announce that it has joined the family of educational outreach programs of The Northern California Natural History Museum. As such: This has been a co-production of Northstate Public Radio and the Northern California Natural History Museum.
Until next week – enjoy life and early September in your Northstate Garden. I’m Jennifer Jewell.