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September - A Turning Point
This month is definitely transitional. You can smell the seasonal change. For many people, including me, it's a nostalgic time of year. I get introspective come September. I guess the slower pace frees up psychic space for reflection.
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It's slowing down in the garden, too. Days are shorter and cooling off some, slowing plant growth and output. My harvest yesterday was two lemon cucumbers, a handful of broccoli side-shoots, a small zucchini, and a couple pocketfuls of beans. That's in sharp contrast to a couple weeks ago when the fridge held nine zukes, three one-gallon bags of beans, a gallon bag of broccoli, and four one-gallon bags of pickling cucumbers.
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Even though summer was hot, now it's time to worry about the first frost and the potential end of your garden, if there's anything left of it. I hear grasshoppers have demolished entire yards! Many people just gave up, because it was too frustrating with the heat and drought. The quail ate every speck of lettuce I had, so I stopped planting it. Don't laugh if you see me at Albertson's buying lettuce! It was dire!
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Pay attention to the weather forecasts, and get your row covers ready for frost. It's easier to be prepared than to scramble for protection at the last minute. There are details in the August chapter of The Book.
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Read on. There's a lot going on this fall! I'll be on KNCE 93.5 on Monday, Sept 11 at 7:40am to talk about it all!
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UNM Sustainable Ag Workshops
UNM Taos is offering four sustainable ag workshops in September and October - foraging, canning, fermenting, and composting. My good friend, colleague, and business partner, Kevin Wittman, will be facilitating them and also teaching the composting workshop. Only 20 people can attend each, so don't wait until the last minute! The cost for each is a well-spent $20.
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September Garden Tasks
The best advice for September is don't clean up your garden! Leave dead flower stalks and plant debris for insects, good and bad, to overwinter in. Last September, I was cutting carrot flowers that had gone to seed. There were dozens of ladybugs tucked into the centers of them already! I cut a few for seed and left the rest. Needless to say, there were ladybugs in the house after that! But the point is, insects are hunkering down for winter, so let them be!
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There's so much more in The Book, available at Gutiz, Moxie, KOKO, Dixon Market, Cid's, Taos Herb, Earthgoods, and Petree's.
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Prolong Your Tomato Harvest
I get a newsletter from the World Tomato Society. This month, they sent this great article on making your harvest period last longer.
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The Book!
On October 7, I'll be at the Taos Land Trust Fall Harvest Festival with The Book, cacti, and maybe some seeds. We're also having a plant sale and seed swap, so stay tuned for more information about that!
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The Book will be at Taos Folk this year, from November 18 - December 24 along with my paper weavings and collages! It's so exciting to have been accepted.
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New venue, new people, exciting and terrifying all at once.
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On Fridays, Casey Flynn has The Book with her at the Talpa Community Market. She sells succulents, house plants, and many native plants she grows from local seed. I'm there with her most weeks, too. The market runs through October 13.
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The Book is available at KOKO, Gutiz, Moxie, Earthgoods, Petree's, Dixon Market, Cid's, and Taos Herb. And you can always contact me for a signed copy and get the 'farm tour'!
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Collage with paper weaving
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Cacti for Sale!
Last winter, Kevin brought home a seed pod of a Cereus repandus cactus that was growing in his brother's yard in Arizona. We love an experiment, so I laid it on some soil in a 4" pot and waited. Two weeks later, there were sprouts! Tons of them! In early July, I transplanted five into each cell of a 50-plug tray. In early August, we potted them up into their own little 2"x 2" pots.
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And now they're for sale! Only $7!
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I learned that they make a wonderful, easy-to-grow houseplant that you can move outside for summer. A friend sent me a photo of the 7" wide flower she got on her mature Cereus this summer. See the photo below.
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We'll probably have more succulents come spring. But in the meantime, if you like low-maintenance plants, come get one or several of these! They make great gifts, too.
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Our Cereus repandus babies! Easy peasy to grow! They come in a 2"x 2" pot for $7.
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Cereus repandus almost a foot tall.
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Cereus repandus flower, measuring 7" across! Photo by Nancy Zinno
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Auntie Nannie's Seed Exchange
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The seed exchange has taken up residence at the Taos Land Trust! We'll be having a seed swap, book signing, and plant sale during their Fall Harvest Festival on October 7th. Follow Auntie Nannie's Facebook page to stay informed.
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