October around Monterey Bay
Hello, fellow dirt enthusiasts.
Fall has arrived. We know this because the garden is beginning to look tired, the gutters are growing things we didn’t plant, and someone has already suggested that everything needs “a good cutback.”
Please put down the hedge trimmer. We should talk.
Ornamental grasses: a trim, not a punishment.
Identify your grasses before attacking them. Dormant deciduous varieties can be cut back, although leaving them until late winter gives birds and beneficial insects somewhere to hang out. Evergreen grasses usually need their dead blades removed. Think gentle grooming, not Marine boot camp.
Hydrangeas: remove the old hats carefully.
Those faded flower heads have had a lovely season. If you’re removing them, snip just above the first healthy pair of buds below the bloom. No enthusiastic hacking: many hydrangeas already have next year’s flowers in the works. You can also leave the heads until spring. Gardening occasionally rewards doing less, which is why I remain interested.
Apples and pears: collect your winnings.
Harvest fruit as it becomes ready, and pick up fallen or rotting fruit before the garden’s less welcome dinner guests discover the buffet. Share your surplus with neighbors. This is how you become “the lovely person with the apples” instead of “the person whose ladder has been against that tree since August.”
Summer vegetables: thank you for your service.
Clear out plants that have finished producing. Healthy material can go into the compost; diseased plants belong in appropriate green waste. If your zucchini is still producing, I’m sorry. Please stop leaving bags of it in unlocked cars.
Leaves and needles: relocate, don’t obliterate.
Clear lawns, paths, gutters, and drains, but save some healthy leaves for compost or garden mulch. There’s no need to make every bed look vacuumed. Nature has never once asked for a leaf blower.
Lawns: a sensible fall meal.
Actively growing cool-season lawns may benefit from fall fertilizer. Follow the label and avoid feeding immediately before heavy rain. We’re trying to nourish the grass, not send an expensive smoothie into Monterey Bay.
Gutters and roofs: inspect before the first indoor waterfall.
Clear gutters and downspouts, check where the water drains, and have roof trouble addressed before the rains. A suspicious ceiling stain is a terrible seasonal decoration. If the job involves heights and optimism, consider hiring someone whose qualifications extend beyond owning a ladder.
Plant something for future-you.
Fall is a good time for California natives, shrubs, perennials, spring bulbs, and garlic. Make room for winter greens, too. Garlic requires patience, but unlike some houseguests, it eventually contributes to dinner.
Finally, adjust the watering.
Check for leaks, reduce irrigation as the garden needs less, and switch it off when rain supplies enough water. Keep an eye on new plantings. They haven’t read the forecast.
Put on KRML, pull on your gloves, and tackle a few things at a time.
Your garden does not need perfection. It needs attention—and possibly someone willing to take the last zucchini.
Yours in compost,
KRML’s Mystery Gardener
Identity withheld. Knees increasingly creaky.
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But I want them zucchinis for the zucchini bread!!