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September Tips & Events for Santa Clara County
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"
By all these lovely tokens, September days are here, With summer's best of weather, And autumn's best of cheer.
”
Author Unknown
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October 7, 2017, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Join us for Martial Cottle Park's Harvest Festival, including our
Fall Garden Market
! The Harvest Festival celebrates the agricultural heritage of the Santa Clara Valley and the newest park in the county. There will be food, entertainment, park tours, and more.
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Tomato Blossoms
Go ahead and remove tomato blossoms from your plants now. The current blossoms will likely not have time to fully develop into tomatoes before the weather gets too cold and the fruit turns mealy. Allow the plant to puts its energy into ripening the tomatoes that are already starting to grow and mature.
Photo: Tomato flower illustration,
UC Davis
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Going Native
Fall is a great time to plant native California shrubs and trees. They won’t be shocked by the hot weather, and they will have some time to establish roots before it gets too cold. They developed in our native soils and climate, so they need little or no soil amendments. Although they may be drought tolerant, be sure to water them regularly for the first year or two until their roots are well established.
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Cucumber Beetle
The favorite foods of the cucumber beetle are cucumbers and melons. Adults mostly eat leaves, but can also cause scarring to the skins of the fruit. They have some natural predators such as the parasitic tachinid fly and the assassin bug, yet are quite difficult to control. Since most older plants can tolerate some beetle damage, one approach is to cover young vegetable plants with protective cloth and remove the cloth when the plants are older.
Photo: Assassin bug attack on cucumber beetle, UC Bug Squad Blog, Kathy Keatley Garvey
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Dividing Perennials
Now is a good time to divide summer-blooming perennials like daylilies, penstemon, and coreopsis. If the plants appear crowded or are no longer producing robust blooms, it may be time to dig them up and cut apart the roots with a spade, shovel, or sharp knife. Replant the sections at the same depth they were before division and water them well.
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Cover Crops
If you are planning to let your vegetable garden—and vegetable gardener!—rest during the winter, make sure to protect the soil and the soil life. Bare soil can erode during winter rains and there may not be sufficient organic material to feed the soil organisms. Consider planting a low-maintenance cover crop which can also add vital nitrogen to the soil. Examples are fava beans, vetch, and buckwheat.
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Visit or subscribe to
our blog
for longer articles on seasonal topics
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Sat, Sep 16, 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.,
Growing Great Soil
, Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Gardens, 433 Charles St.,
Sunnyvale
Mon, Sep 18, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.,
Replacing Your Lawn
, Morgan Hill Library, 660 W Main Ave,
Morgan Hill
Sat, Sep 23, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.,
Growing Garlic
, St. Louise Hospital Teaching & Demo Garden
, 9400 No Name Uno Way,
Gilroy
Sat, Sep 23, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.,
Tomato Seed Saving Class
(Class free; Park charges $6 for parking), Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave,
San Jose
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Have a gardening question? Contact our Hotline (for Santa Clara County residents). Start by reviewing our plant
problem diagnosis tips
.
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Santa Clara County Master Gardener Program volunteers are trained under the auspices of the UCCE. Our mission is to promote sustainable gardening practices by providing up-to-date, research-based horticultural information to home gardeners.
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University policy is intended to be consistent with the provisions of applicable State and Federal laws.
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