Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do on the Week of Aug. 28

By Ron Kujawski

* Start bringing in houseplants soon. If left outdoors and exposed to the cooler nights of late summer and early fall, the plants will have more difficulty adapting to the moderate temperatures and low light indoors. This is why houseplants often drop leaves when brought back indoors after their summer vacation. Most of us feel that way after vacations.

* Cover peppers and eggplant with lightweight row covers once nighttime temperatures consistently dip into the low fifties. The row covers will help retain some heat for these vegetables of subtropical origin. The row covers should be removed on hot days, i.e. temperatures above 80°.

* Opt for canning your surplus tomatoes rather than freezing them. Canning involves more labor but I’ve found that the flavor and texture of tomatoes are better preserved in the canning process. The only time I’ll freeze tomatoes is after they are either roasted or dehydrated.

* Harvest cabbage by cutting off the firm head but leaving the large outer leaves on the plant intact. After a week or so, several buds or small cabbage heads will begin to develop. Cut off all but one of these. This remaining bud will develop into a small cabbage head this fall.

* Don’t get your knickers in a twist if you see mushrooms popping up on the lawn and in gardens. They thrive in the warm, wet weather of late. Just break them up with a rake as they appear. Otherwise, let them be; frost will eventually destroy them.

* Plant peonies. The white and pink varieties are typically more fragrant than the red ones.

I consider myself a lawn minimalist. In other words, the only care our lawn gets is a regular mowing. Wildflowers, otherwise known as weeds, seem content with my lawn management strategy. And, since our only water source is a well, the lawn must rely on Mother Nature to satisfy its thirst. However, to keep some semblance of a grass-based lawn, I do apply fertilizer (GASP!), but it is only one application per year. Labor Day weekend is the time for that application. Studies have shown this to be the most important fertilizer application for lawns.  Nutrients taken up by grass plants now promote root development, increase the density of lawns, and help replenish the food reserves (carbohydrates) needed by grass plants not only for fall growth but also for next spring’s growth. The fertilizer used should contain mostly slow-release forms of nitrogen.  Some common slow-release forms of nitrogen are ureaform, sulfur-coated urea, and IBDU (Isobutylidene diurea). Organic and compost-based fertilizers are also good sources of slow-release nitrogen but the application rates are higher because the percent nitrogen in these is lower than in non-organic fertilizer. 

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.