End of Summer Worklist
Correct Watering
Don’t just splash a little water around every day or two. Plants prefer a good, deep watering every few days. This also encourages their roots to grow deeper. Use either a soaker hose or a good deep watering with a regular hose. Try not to get water on the foliage, because in the next couple of months, you’ll still need to worry about powdery mildew due to the continued hot and humid conditions.
End of Summer Feeding
Feed your summer crops one last feeding so they keep producing a bit longer. Do remember that the first feeding of any fall veggies that are just coming up.
Deadheading
Make sure you keep your annual flowers deadheaded to prolong their blooming. And that includes keeping your veggies picked.
Controlling Insects
Still keep a lookout for problems. Squash bugs, aphids, cucumber beetles, and tomato hornworms are still out and about, and now we have Japanese beetles to deal with. Check the backs of leaves for little clusters of eggs. I pick them off with the sticky side of duct tape. If some hatch, insecticidal soap or Neem oil is good to use.
When applying an insecticide on your veggies, make sure you read the label because you don’t want to put anything harmful on your plate. For tomato hornworms, remember that they turn into a moth that is a pollinator so I would simply grow an extra tomato or two and move them from “yours” to “theirs”. I can’t bring myself to kill a pollinator. For Japanese beetles, there are fairly effective Japanese beetle traps available. Just remember to place them AWAY from what the beetles are eating because the traps contain a lure.
Controlling Weeds
Keep weeds out of your flower and vegetable gardens. Yes, it’ll be fall in a little over a month but that’s PLENTY of time for weeds to move in. I’d even check on weeds occasionally over the winter, because there are some fairly cold hardy ones. Remember weeds you don’t contend with now may still be waiting for you (or their seedlings) in the spring.
The Most Important Thing
Maybe the most important thing you can do is to be sure to take some time to sit in your backyard with a glass of iced tea to appreciate all the hard work you’ve done. If you have too much to handle, maybe share some tomatoes with your neighbors. Appreciate how much better veggies taste when they are YOURS.