Through The Garden Gate

By Leslie Watkins

The saying “dog days of summer” as we use it generally refers to those hot, lazy summer days spent lolling in the hammock or on the beach, but actually it originates in astronomy. Sirius, the dog star, appears in the heavens in late July when it rises just before the sun. Sirius is the brightest proper star and can be seen in late summer as it ascends before dawn in the southeast and moves across the sky to set in the southwest. Because of its brightness, it may appear particularly colorful, depending on atmospheric conditions. Sirius is associated with heat, draught, thunderstorms, lethargy, fever and mad dogs. Homer alluded to in the Iliad: 

Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky
On summer nights, star of stars,
Orion’s Dog they call it, brightest
Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat
And fevers to suffering humanity.

These warm days can be advantageous to gardeners for fall plantings. Just because the nurseries have stopped offering seedlings doesn’t mean we’re done. This is a great time get many vegetables started. Working backwards from our first frost date, sometime around October 3, we can see that we have about 60 days of growing time–perfect for lots of things. Make room in the garden by removing spent plants and weeds. Be sure to keep the newly planted seeds from drying out.

August is a good time to harvest herbs for drying, before they flower. Trimming will stimulate the plants to send out fresh new shoots. Hang the herbs in small bundles to dry. Also keep an eye out for any seeds to be collected. Store seeds in jars with tight lids. Pruning away spent flowers from shrubs and perennials will help send energy back into the plants.

This may be the most important time of year to remove invasives like oriental bittersweet,  Japanese honeysuckle, multiflora rose, Japanese barberry, and euonymus (Burning Bush) as fruits ripen and they begin to set seed. Birds eat the fruit and spread the seeds everywhere they go. Even if you can’t dig them out right away, at least set them back by cutting the stems. Don’t compost or discard the cuttings in the woods, bring them to the burn pile at the dump. Many weeds are also producing seeds now and are easiest pulled when the ground is moist.

Check your tomatoes and dahlias to see if they need additional tying up, and give the compost a good turning over. Don’t worry if the lawn doesn’t look so good, it’s going into dormancy. Fill up the bird baths and put some water out in low pans for thirsty critters. Butterflies will “drink” minerals from moist sand.

In August we celebrate several holidays associated with gardening: August 3 is National Watermelon Day, August 5 is National Mustard Day and August 8 is Sneak Some Zucchini On To Your Neighbor’s Porch Day… need I say more?

Zucchini Crisps Recipe
1 pound zucchini, sliced into ¼” rounds
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 450º. Toss zucchini slices with olive oil. Mix together the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Press the zucchini slices into mixture and bake on cookie sheet 25-30 minutes until browned and crisp. 

Vegetable Plantings for Fall
Arugula
Beets
Carrots
Chard
Chinese Cabbage
Kale
Lettuce
Mesclun
Spinach
Turnips