mustard
August is the time for harvesting the summer’s bounty in the vegetable garden while thinking ahead to a winter’s garden. Even though it is hot and humid, you have to plan now to have even more edibles in the fall and winter. These edibles prefer cool temperatures. Often these plants are not bothered by as much disease and pests as in the summer plus you as a gardener are not bothered by heat, humidity, and mosquitoes. Continue reading
mustard
August is the time for harvesting and enjoying the summer’s bounty in the vegetable garden while thinking ahead to a winter’s garden. Even though it is hot and humid, planting carrots, green onions (scallions), and cole crops such as cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli raab, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and collards will give great yields in cold months. Later or by September, also consider planting spinach, Swiss chard, radish, turnip, and Asian or hardy greens such as mustard, tatsoi, mache, and kale. You still have time to plant garlic: that’s in October.
To determine when to plant look at the “days to maturity” on the seed packet. Count backwards from the average first frost date (Halloween in Northern Virginia) to determine when to plant. But the difference between fall and spring planting is the “Short Day” factor, which may not be addressed on the seed packet. If you are going to plant seed, you have to add 2 weeks to the numbers on the seed packet to allow for the cooler night temperatures and the shorter day lengths. For example, to sow spinach seeds add the 7 to 10 days for germination, 35 days to reach maturation, and 14 days for the Short Day factor for a total of 56 to 59 days. Therefore, the latest one can sow spinach seeds is the beginning of September. The length of time would be shorter if nursery transplants were used instead of seed because they have a head start.
mache
Also, find out the best temperature range for seed germination (start indoors versus outdoors), keep the seeds moist during dry times in the summer, and get to know each crop’s tolerance for cold (soil and air) to know if you should provide additional warmth with row covers.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Vegetable Planting Guide and Recommended Dates #426-331
University of Maryland Extension
Planting Dates for Vegetable Crops in Maryland #HG16
Vegetable Planting Calendar for Central Maryland #GE-007
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a Virginia-based seed company that also has very useful local information:
Posted in Edibles, plants, seeds, vegetables
Tagged August, Fall garden, winter garden
The following are Peg’s Picks of local gardening events for August 2016. If you are new to the Washington DC metro area, check out the classes/events tab on my site for gardening events that have occurred in the past 12 months to get a feel for regularly occurring events.
3, Wednesday, Food Preservation: Can, Freeze, Dehydrate, Ferment. 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Wednesdays in the Garden Series at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA. Taught by Arlington Food Assistance Center volunteers and VCE Master Gardeners, free, no registration required. Library phone and website: http://www.library.arlingtonva.us (703) 228-5990. http://www.mgnv.org
4, Thursday, Orchid Repotting, 12:15 to 12:45, East Walk of the Smithsonian Enid A. Haupt Garden, Smithsonian, Washington DC. Part of the Let’s Talk Garden Series on Thursdays, hosted by Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists, free. (202) 633-2220. http://www.gardens.si.edu
6, Saturday, Fall Gardens Can Be Great, Planning for a Fall Vegetable Garden. 10:00 to 11:00 am at the Loudoun Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden at Ida Lee Park, Leesburg, VA. Free. Call (703) 777-0373 or visit http://www.loudouncountymastergardners.org
6, Saturday, Grow It Eat It Summer Open House, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Hosted by the Montgomery County Master Gardeners at the Agricultural History Farm Park, 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD. Most events free. https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_images/programs/grow_it_eat_it/8.6%20program%20schedule.web_.shade_.pdf
10, Wednesday, Hydroponic and PVC Pipe Gardening, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Wednesdays in the Garden Series at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA. Taught by Arlington Food Assistance Center volunteers and VCE Master Gardeners, free, no registration required. Library phone and website: http://www.library.arlingtonva.us (703) 228-5990. http://www.mgnv.org
10, Wednesday, Food in the Garden series “Gardens and Community,” 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Fee and must register in advance. Will take place at the Smithsonian’s Victory Gardens, Washington DC (Constitution Avenue entrance of the National Museum of American History) http://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/food-garden
11, Thursday, Houseplants 101, 12:15 to 12:45, East Walk of the Smithsonian Enid A. Haupt Garden, Smithsonian, Washington DC. Part of the Let’s Talk Garden Series on Thursdays, hosted by Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists, free. (202) 633-2220. http://www.gardens.si.edu
13, Saturday, Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening: Extending Your Harvest, 10:30 am to noon. Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Road, Alexandria. Hosted by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. Free but must register in advance. http://www.mgnv.org
14, Sunday in the Organic Vegetable Garden, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Potomac Overlook Park, 2845 Marcey Road, Arlington, VA. Hosted by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. Free but must register in advance. http://www.mgnv.org
17, Wednesday, Vegetables for Fall, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Wednesdays in the Garden Series at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA. Taught by Arlington Food Assistance Center volunteers and VCE Master Gardeners, free, no registration required. Library phone and website: http://www.library.arlingtonva.us (703) 228-5990. http://www.mgnv.org
18, Thursday, Floral Design: Building a Winning Arrangement, 12:15 to 12:45, East Walk of the Smithsonian Enid A. Haupt Garden, Smithsonian, Washington DC. Part of the Let’s Talk Garden Series on Thursdays, hosted by Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists, free. (202) 633-2220. http://www.gardens.si.edu
20, Saturday, “Class: Trees 101,” 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Casey Trees, 3030 12th Street NE Washington DC. Free but must register in advance. (202) 833-4010. http://www.caseytrees.org
20, Saturday, National Honeybee Day, 10:00 am to noon, Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. Free but there is a charge for a craft ticket. Designed for children and adults. (703) 642-5173. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring
20, Saturday, Cover Crops, Succession Planting, and Rotation in the Vegetable Garden. 9:00 am to noon. Saturday in the garden series, hosted by the Prince William County Master Gardeners and Virginia Cooperative Extension Prince William County staff. Free but registration requested. Teaching Garden at St. Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA. E-mail master_gardener@pwcgov.org (703) 792-7747
24, Wednesday, Preparing the Garden for Winter, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays in the Garden Series at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA. Taught by Arlington Food Assistance Center volunteers and VCE Master Gardeners, free, no registration required. Library phone and website: http://www.library.arlingtonva.us (703) 228-5990. http://www.mgnv.org
25, Thursday, Rose Care, 12:15 to 12:45, East Walk of the Smithsonian Enid A. Haupt Garden, Smithsonian, Washington DC. Part of the Let’s Talk Garden Series on Thursdays, hosted by Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists, free. (202) 633-2220. http://www.gardens.si.edu
27, Saturday, Best All Round Landscape Shrubs, 11:00 am. Free, Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD. (301) 937-1100. http://www.behnkes.com
28, Sunday, Keep ‘em Fed: Tips to Extend the Vegetable Garden Through the Fall. 1:00 pm., Free, Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD. (301) 937-1100. http://www.behnkes.com
27 and 28, Saturday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm and Sunday noon to 3:30 pm. Annual Begonia Show and Sale, hosted by the Potomac Branch of the American Begonia Society at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. Free and begonias for sale. (703) 642-5173. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring
Remember the DC Parks and Recreation has a Summer Garden Workshop Series. More than 50 free workshops every Monday, Wednesday and various Saturdays from April 18th to September 28th. Focused on practical urban gardening and taught by the leaders of DC urban garden movement. Monday Classes: 6:30-8:30pm – Deanwood Rec – 1350 49th St. NE; Wednesday Classes: 6:30-8:30pm – Raymond Rec – 3725 10th St. NE; Saturday Classes: 10-12pm – Times and locations vary. Check registration for more details:
http://bit.ly/UrbanGardeningPrograms
A full schedule flyer is at this link
http://dpr.dc.gov/node/1124742
For more info about all DPR Urban Garden Programs click on this link
http://dpr.dc.gov/service/urban-garden-programs
Peg’s Picks of Edible Gardening Events, August 2015
1, Saturday, University of Maryland Extension’s Grow It Eat It Open House, 9:00 am to 1:30 pm, Agriculture History Farm Park, 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD. Free but must register for some classes, check their brochure. http://extension.umd.edu/growit/montgomery-county-vegetable-gardening-classes-and-events
1, Saturday 11:00 am and Sunday August 2, 11:00 am. “Your Edible Garden: Harvesting, Storing, and a New Seed Season”, lecture by Carol Allen. Also, on Saturday, August 15, 11:00 am and Sunday, August 16, 11:00 am, “Cannin’ and Jammin’” with Carol Allen. Free but registration required. Behnke Nurseries, 11300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, (301) 937-1100. http://behnkes.com
8, Saturday, 9:00 to noon, “Saturdays in the Garden: What’s that Weed?” hosted by The Master Gardeners of Prince William County, at the teaching garden at St. Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA, free but must register, (703) 792-7747. http://www.mgpw.org
Arlington Central Library hosts the “Garden Talks” series of free presentations every Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 pm starting mid-March through end of October. The website lists the topics and provides gardening resources for gardeners in the area.1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington VA; (703) 228-5990. http://www.library.arlingtonva.us/events/garden-talks/
8, Saturday, 2:00 to 3:30 pm, Legumes: Life with Special Roots, lecture by Todd Brethauer, USBG Science Education Volunteer, U.S. Botanic Garden’s Conservatory Classroom, free; must register. U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington DC (202) 225-8333. http://www.usbg.gov
25, Tuesday, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, Extending the Harvest: Fall and Winter Crops. Also on Saturday 8/29, 10:30 am to noon, Fairlington Community Center, 3801 S. Stafford Street, Arlington, VA. sponsored by the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, free but registration required. Call (703) 228-6414; e-mail mgarlalex@gmail.com. http://www.mgnv.org
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation is offering over 50 free garden workshops from May through September, taught by the leaders of DC’s urban garden movement. Each class is 2 hours long, on Monday or Wednesday evening, and there are various Saturday field trips. Free but must register online. For a full list of classes and locations, check out http://dpr.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dpr/publication/attachments/SummerGardenWorkshopSeries2015.pdf. For further questions, contact the DPR community garden specialist, Joshua Singer, e-mail: Joshua.singer@dc.gov. Here is a sample of August topics:
