To many gardeners in the drier areas of the Lehigh Valley, this summer's withering drought and scorching heat have been a difficult combination to beat. We've all spent more time this year dragging the hoses around and shading young plants than any year in recent memory. One only hopes this will not be the trend for future years.
Gardeners, as a group, tend to be somewhat optimistic, however, having faith in more favorable gardening conditions for next year. We aren't ready to hang up the soaker hoses or roll up the mulch quite yet, but cooler days are coming.
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As certain crops, like cucumbers, are pulled out of the summer garden, be prepared to seed in green manure corps, such as buckwheat or winter rye. This is one of the best things that you can do for your garden to prepare for next year. Both buckwheat and rye have enormous root systems that provide inexpensive, easily applied sources of organic materials. This improves both the tilth and aeration of your soil. If you cannot make enough compost in which to plant your vegetables, plant green manure instead.
Buckwheat is one of the most commonly used green manures in our Lehigh Valley area. It is a large, heavy seed, so buy at least twice the poundage, compared to a light seed, like rye. It sells out fast, however, so buy early. Sow one pound for every 10 square feet of garden. Buckwheat is frost- sensitive, so till it under before first frost in your area. Buckwheat grows rapidly, but don't delay planting it, because four to six inches of growth should develop before plowdown time. The frost date varies so much over the Lehigh Valley, one has to keep individual records and trust your own experience.
Rye is another nonlegume that is widely grown in our area. The annual variety should be plowed down before frost for areas that will be planted early in spring. Winter rye, the perennial variety, will grow in the cool fall, and resume growth in the spring.
Rye is a valuable cover crop, but don't let it develop too much. Its matted root system is difficult to break up, even with a rototiller, and should be plowed down either in fall, or when it has only a few inches of top growth next spring. Timing in spring can be tricky, as any gardener knows. Most springs provide us with lots of rain, and the rye will skyrocket into such lush growth that hours of determined tilling will be required to conquer it. Perennial rye will provide a blanket fo your garden soil, to prevent wind and water erosion over the winter, but sharpen those tines and shovels.
Legumes, such as peas, beans, alfalfa and clovers, are valuable green manure crops, because they help fix nitrogen from the air. When plowed down, the nitrogen will be available for use by other plants. They also make deep root growth, helping to aerate the soil and bring up nutrients from deeper layers that may ordinarily be untapped by the plants.Crops such as alfalfa help soften clay soil with their long, fibrous roots. Through the decaying process, the root mass leaves behind quantities of organic matter for future use by other plants.
However, legumes are slower to develop, and are generally seeded in springtime. You can set aside a portion of the garden for summer improvement each year, if you wish to use legumes. Alfalfa, however, can be hard to get rid of without chemical treatment, since its roots are so long. You may find yourself with alfalfa "weeds" for several seasons after use in the garden.
Try different cover crops to evaluate which is best for your individual gardening style. Each of us develops favorites, but there are new ones appearing every year. Right now, my pick is buckwheat for fall, spring or early summer seeding. Cowpeas work well for spring seeding.
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Be sure to start the fall crops of lettuce, radishes and spinach, if you haven't already. You can seed it directly into the cold frame area, if you have one, with lid removed, of course. Provide some shade to protect those tender seedlings until September cools down. Or, you can start the seeds in small pots, filled with moistened potting soil, and keep them in a protected area until transplanting time. Salad greens will be a welcome harvest in October and November, when most of the garden has been put to bed.
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For those of us growing sunflowers for winter birdseed, summer birds can be a pest. The golden petals have hardly withered before the bluejays, grosbeaks, blackbirds, chickadees and other feathered friends have wiped out half the crop. The winter residents will need the oil-rich seeds for survival during the leaner months to come. To savesome seeds, you can try various methods. It's a little difficult to attach a grocery bag to a ten-foot Mammoth Russian sunflower head, however, and this method also inhibits air circulation. You can try spreading fruit tree netting with tall poles, but the birds are geniuses at pecking through the mesh.
Another method that may be worth a try was reported in Organic Gardening magazine recently. It seems that wildly decorated beach balls have proved effective in protecting crops in Japan. Giant "eyes" painted on the balls, especially those colored yellow, frighten thieving birds away from the crops.