With the return to above average temperatures and sunshine this week, what has that meant for our veggie gardens and flower beds?
"At this time of the season, it is traditionally called our second season of gardening or our next season of gardening," shared Carla Hrycyna from St. Mary's Nursery and Garden Centre, Host of the Lawn and Garden Journal. "Maybe the vegetables are finishing, and we may still be doing a lot of harvesting. I'm still picking tomatoes off some plants."
Tomatoes being a very popular topic on the Lawn and Garden Journal call-in show Saturday mornings at 915am on AM1250, Hrycyna offered this quick tip if you're having trouble ripening on the vine at this time of year.
"With some of the tomatoes, you might want to start removing some of the leaves, so the sun gets more onto the fruit."
She also encouraged us to keep a close eye on overnight temperatures, and if the threat of frost appears, be ready to cover up those tomatoes.
Is it time to put the lawnmower away?
Meanwhile, the warmer weather is also providing us with an opportunity to do some of those fall yard tasks in much more enjoyable conditions than what they could be a month from now.
"Just starting to clean up (with) maybe some of the perennials or annuals just not looking good, it gives you that timeframe of nicer weather to work in rather than doing it when it's cooler," she said.
Above average temperatures, along with recent rains, have also reinvigorated our lawns, and that prompts the question of when should the final mow of the season be?
"Well that depends," said Hrycyna. "If our lawn is still growing, we want to make sure it is not too long going (into winter). Last year, in mid-October, I still pulled out my lawn mower because it was too long. That's the area you don't want it, laying down and laying over so it causes snow molds. That also has a tendency to attract more voles for over wintering. If you find it's getting too long, and it's kind of bending over again, it's probably best to go over top of it again."
Should I aerate the lawn now, or in the Spring?
According to Hrycyna, aerating in the Fall is a great idea.
"Because the temperatures are cooler, it allows the grass to recover from the stress it may have had from the heat and it prepares it for more opening," she explained. "It allows some snow and ice to get in there, because a lot of times when your ground gets compacted you want things lightened up. You want those air spaces, because the more openness you have, the more aeration there is for roots."
She added, just like water, roots also need air in order to grow properly and aerating provides exactly that, hopefully giving you a jump on next season.