The burgeoning season of autumn in panhandle Florida is known as a period for maintaining the landscape and cultivating the fall garden. While it is great to be returning to outdoor recreational activities in the moderating heat and humidity, the lawn and garden chores can be a bit tedious with the many distractions currently available.
Still there are some very productive activities which can be done in the home landscape and garden which do not require an excessive or extraordinary effort. These actions undertaken consistently, even though not exceptionally physical, can yield savings in both time and resources.
First and foremost is to monitor the home landscape and garden. Literally watch what is happening on a regular basis multiple times weekly if not daily.
To paraphrase the Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare, “All your landscape and garden is a stage, and all the birds, bugs and diseases merely players who have their entrances and exits”.
In short, there is a lot of unnoticed activity which can create all kinds of destructive drama if left uncontrolled.
Leaf-footed bugs are one of the many insects which have multiplied in the summer of 2022 and pose a threat to the home garden. These pests use their straw-like mouth to suck the juices out of tender stems, leaves and garden produce. They can quicky render tasty vegetables and fruit useless. Like many other problems, they require vigilance and quick action.
Luckily there has been plenty of rain during the summer of 2022, maybe even too much. Even so, this largess from above can set up problems which, if quickly identified, can be mitigated and the damage minimized.
Watch the insects which are reaching seasonal population highs and identify the problematic species, such as grasshoppers and stinkbugs. In a year with ample rain, the bugs have had plenty to eat, so the reproduction rate has been high.
As each new generation hatches, they immediately start the hunt for something to eat. With the summer progressing into autumn, the insect population begins to reach critical mass in areas where there is no counterbalance to their presence.
Early detection and treatment are both key. The same can be said for diseases and weeds. With many landscapes and gardens going into the night wet from late day and evening rains, the establishment and spread of fungal problems is likely to increase.
Again, early detection and treatment is key to successfully controlling each situation.
Now is an excellent time to use the remaining hot days to solarize garden soil in preparation for establishing fall vegetable garden crops. It usually takes four to six weeks to get the best results, but shorter periods will help.
Another low impact task for fall gardening preparation is to start tomato and Halloween pumpkin seeds now. Watch for insects and disease symptoms, as both seedlings are susceptible to these pressures during this period.
Radish seeds can be planted now with lettuce and cabbage seedlings installed too. Many lettuce varieties will yield before the first frost, and cold weather ends their production.
For the diligent, and lucky, peppers can be overwintered at this latitude and yield in 2023.
If gardenias and azaleas have not been pruned, the window of time to accomplish the job has passed. Both should have been completed no later than the middle of July or the 2023 bloom will be reduced.
These tasks done now will yield in the months to come, and none is too extreme in the warm autumn weather in north Florida.
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