Harris County Master Gardener Offers Pro Tips to Prep Your Garden for Fall
Article and Photos by Terri Simon, Harris County Master Gardener
This summer has been another scorcher for Texas. Last year we had 16 days of 100 plus degree weather. So far this year we have had 17 days of 100 plus degree temps. My plants are miserable. The death toll continues to rise and no funerals will be held. Most of my plants are in pots and they need daily watering. The lizards love me.
Nearly all of my mint has died. I have killed five mint varieties so far. I keep placing them in the same spot and I now realize that maybe that spot is getting too much sun. Slow learner. The only surviving mint is in a place where it gets some morning sun and filtered afternoon sun. That mint is doing fine. I went out of town for two days and I deliberately overwatered my plants hoping they would survive. I watered heavily the evening before and again early the next morning before I left. When I returned it looked as though two of the mint plants in the sunny spot drowned. How ungrateful.
This is the time to get your fall vegetable beds ready. Yes, rip out the tomato plants. They are just forgotten corpses left to rot in the sun. If you’re an optimist, you can hope for a second fall crop from your pepper plants. Don’t forget to amend your soil. Fall gardens have several advantages: cooler weather (we hope), fewer bugs, and a longer growing season (depending on when our cold weather sets in). Every Urban Dirt has a planting schedule included so please refer to it when starting your fall vegetable garden (see the September issue here and scroll to page 14). It has shaded areas to let you know when to plant seeds vs vegetable transplants. It also lists optimal growing times as well as marginal growing times.
For now, I must be content with the few stragglers I have left. I know some of them may revive in the fall. A few have thrived with the heat - all of the basil, my Texas native star hibiscus, the rosemary, my chewed up cannas (thanks to the snails), that darned Goji plant I hate, and my newest acquisition, a Himalayan celosia amaranth. The celosia is an annual and I don’t care for annuals or celosias, but this was a new introduction so I bought it on a whim. The color is fantastic. The stalk is fuchsia colored and the leaves are variegated with green and a fuchsia-red color. That plant is so striking you can see it from the street. It’s a show stopper. I still have seeds left so I may plant more in the spring.
 Himalayan Celosia Amaranth |
 Black Turmeric |
The plants that are doing well are those that were moved under the carport. It’s a little crowded under there now. Those along the edges get morning light along with a few hours of southern sun and they are happy. My lone mint plant looks good. The white salvia is blooming. My abutilon looks okay. Surprisingly, my black turmeric plants are looking nice - they’re in better shape than the regular turmeric plant. I’m most impressed by my parsley! It’s a giant Italian parsley I have in a small pot. I grew it from seed and it’s happy under the carport. I have never had parsley live this long through the summer. I think it’s a keeper. With a little luck all of them will make it through fall. I’m sure you have some plants that are doing “borderline well.”
It’s not too late to add a few flowers into the mix if you want some color for fall, Bobvila.com has several recommendations for flowers that can be planted now to provide fall color in your garden. Black eyed Susans attract pollinators, are drought resistant and should bloom until November. For a shock of blue, cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) are annuals that are low maintenance. Keep them contained by deadheading. Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) can be grown as a companion plant in your vegetable garden. Experiment with color. Blue cornflowers mixed with marigolds or black eyed Susans are a beautiful combination. Be bold!
In the meantime, take care while gardening in this heat. Early morning or late afternoon hours are best. Please avoid gardening during the middle of the day, especially if you are a heart patient. Stay hydrated. Water alone is not sufficient. You need to replace the electrolytes also.
My suggestion for fall gardening - go to one of our plant sales! We have some coming up in September and October
- https://hcmga.tamu.edu/plant-sales. The West Side Fall in-person plant sale is September 23rd and the GFG Fall sale will open on the website October 1st through 19th. To order go to hcmga.tamu.edu/shop. The GFG plant pickup day and in-person sale will be October 21st. I hope to see you at one of our sales.
Source: Harris County Master Gardeners Urban Dirt Newsletter (September 2023 Edition)
About Urban Dirt
Each month, Harris County Master Gardeners publishes an informative, resourceful newsletter entitled "Urban Dirt". This article was derived from the September 2023 edition. To read the September 2023 edition of this newsletter, click the button below.
URBAN DIRT - September 2023 EDITION
