Annuals 

• If you haven’t already, don’t delay planning and prepping annual beds for fall. If you had annual beds in spring, this might mean only having to add a couple of inches of compost to the soil and working it in. 
• Make sure to acclimate any transplants you have been growing by seed by moving them from their protected areas to sun exposure only for a couple of hours a day, slowly increasing their time out in the sun, for about a week or two. This gradually gets them used to full sun exposure without burning them.
• Start cool weather annual flower seeds for planting in the garden in Oct/Nov. Grow in a protected area (AM sun/PM shade). But keep in mind, they may need cooler temps to germinate.
• Transitional annual transplants like alyssum and lobelia are welcome color for gardens and containers that have grown tired from battling the summer sun. Keep them well-watered as September can still be pretty hot.
• If you are not planting anything in your fall beds, at least cover soil with a couple layers of mulch. 
• Hold off on buying any pansies and violas even if you see them, it’s still too hot and they will melt in a heartbeat.
• Containers may still need watering twice a day in extreme temperatures or drying winds. If annuals need more than 2 waterings, the soil may be depleted by months of root growth. Consider replanting in a larger container with fresh soil. 

Shrubs

• Hold off for another couple of months to plant shrubs, it’ll be the absolute best time of year to do so. You can, however, get your areas prepped. Remove weeds, and add soil amendments if needed.
• Apply 3” of mulch to shrubs if you haven’t already. You can find many free options such as the leaves you’ve saved from last fall, grass clippings, etc…Or use your Bonus Bucks to stock up on our bagged mulch.
• It’s generally time for your final fertilizer applications if needed, from now through the 1st week of October. Always thoroughly water after feeding.
• Insects will continue to attack though this month, so keep an eye out for lacebugs (azaelas), aphids, scale (hollies, camellias, etc..). It’s a good time to try out beneficial insects for control if the temps are somewhat cooler.
• Pruning should be minimal this time of year (thinning only). Spring-flowering shurbs already have their flower buds set. If you prune now, you won’t be getting any flowers in spring.

Trees

• Hold off for another couple of months to plant trees (Oct/Nov), it’ll be the absolute best time of year to do so.
• If you’ve planted recently, keep up with the ‘slow-trickle’ method of watering new trees if rain doesn’t fall for 5-7 days. The most important thing you can do for newly planted trees this month is to water. 
• Final applications of fertilizer for trees should be offered this month and next if needed.
• Watch for fall webworms, they are starting their most damaging time. Look for webbing around groups of leaves in the canopies of your trees. The easiest way to control is to use an extension pole and rip open the webs every few days to allow wasps in to eat the caterpillars. (Bt is also an effective control, if you can reach the webs, AND when the webworms are young.
• Take caution when pruning trees, you should only be removing damaged or broken limbs, taking them back to their point of origin (back to the main trunk, or to a branch fork). Avoid “heading-back” cuts. This is the shortening of shoots or branches which could encourage new growth that we don’t want right now.

Herbs:

• Retire your older basil and hand it over to the pollinators who enjoy all the blooms. It is a great fall nectar source for bees and small butterflies. Many of the basil plants that we planted in spring are starting to get woody, tasteless(bitter) and tired. Planting another round of basil is wise.  Fresh basil will provide tasty flavor for our recipes. For basil you want to keep using culinarily, pinch flower spikes off of the plants to continue using leaves. 
• Remove dead parts of herbs that have made it through the summer, but are looking tired to help revive them. (Lavender, sage, thyme, etc…) Cut back halfway. You can freeze or dry what you cut off. 

Veggies:

• Now is the time to plant tomatoes and warm season veggies like  peppers, eggplants, squash, cucumber. Place shade cover over new seedlings and transplants in veggie beds for a couple of weeks to protect them from getting scorched in the hot weather.
• New transplants may need to be watered daily, while established veggies should be fine with watering twice a week.
• Bump tomato transplants up to the next sized container so they grow into large transplants that are producing or close to producing flowers by the time they need to go into the garden in a few weeks (Sept 1 – 15th) (They need protection from the hot afternoon sun while getting established.)
• Continue to start seeds of cole crops in containers in protected areas for planting in October. 
• We plant early in fall in order to get a harvest before a freeze because cooler temperatures make crops mature at a slower pace.
• When planting in established veggie beds that have been mulched, pull back mulch enough to set new transplants in the soil, and then replace mulch.
• Water in new transplants with a water-soluble fertilizer.
• Choose bush snap beans as they produce faster. 
• Root crops like carrots, beets, turnips, etc… can be direct seeded into the gardens.
• Potatoes can be planted.
• Cut back tall okra to produce side shoots to harvest in early fall.