Yesterday was Labor Day. It’s hard to believe the first day of fall is a little more than two weeks away on Wednesday, September 22nd.
I’ve already noticed it’s getting dark earlier every night. Just a month ago, sunrise was at 6:18 a.m. and sunset was at 8:14 p.m. Now sunrise is at 6:44 a.m. and sunset at 7:32—over an hour less of daylight! By October 6, sunrise will be at 7:10 a.m. and sunset at 6:47 p.m.! Don’t you miss summer already? I know I do—at least the long days.
Planting Fall Veggies and Flowers
I’ve already got broccoli, carrots, spinach, kale, and sugar snap peas planted and I will be tucking in some yellow pansies next week, in between the begonias decorating the shady front flower bed. They’ll have a few weeks to grow before I yank the begonias out just before the first frost—around the third week in October here—on average.
When onion and garlic sets get here in a couple of weeks, I’ll grab a few packages of each to plant around the outside edge of my veggie garden. They’ll help keep nosy critters from snacking on my fall veggies and I get to enjoy fresh onions and garlic in spring!
Taking Care of Those Important Garden Tools
This is a good time to tidy up my tool shed for winter and clean my garden tools. Not my favorite chore, but important—at least if you want your tools to last their longest. I use a brush with metal bristles and scrub off every speck of dirt—because dirt can absorb moisture from the air and cause rust.
I’ll take fine sandpaper and sand any areas beginning to rust and I’ll give the wooden handles a light coat of flaxseed oil. And I’ll do all this sitting in a chair on my deck—hopefully enjoying some slightly cooler almost-fall air.
Get Your Garden and Other Tools Sharpened on September 18th
I am going to bring my pruners into the Great Big Greenhouse on Saturday, September 18th (Gardener’s Fair). Sharp Again will be here from 10 AM until 2 PM. They do a great job sharpening anything that needs sharpening (kitchen knives, scissors, pruners, etc.). Next time I pull out the pruners, they’ll be ready to go.
As I’m looking back over the previous paragraphs and thinking about all the planting and tool-cleaning I’m going to be doing, there IS going to be a lot of “labor” involved! Happy Labor Day!