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Unlike the first young zucchini, chopped up with enthusiasm in anticipation of their sweet succulence in salads and creative main dishes, the zukes of summer's end are often disdained. What to do with them now, that we aren't already tired of? Try chocolate, double chocolate - that's what! A gardening friend gave me a recipe for Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake and I like to make lots and freeze it.
Cool is Not Cold!Beans, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and basil will keep producing until frost arrives if they are thoroughly harvested every week. Remove any basil flowers that form. After frosts arrive, there will still be greens, brassicas, and root crops to pick.
Cover Crop. Grow your own fertilizer and improve the soil's texture by planting cover crops where you plan to garden next year.
Tree and Perennial Planting. Hardy perennials may not be blooming, but fall is the best time to plant them. Trees, too. The rain will get them established naturally. Their roots will spread through the soil in preparation for strong, healthy growth in spring, even though they appear idle.
Beautiful Bulbs. Plant daffodils, tulips, and other spring blooming bulbs after temperatures cool. Get many varieties for blooms from early spring to June. Where bulb-eating pests are a problem, sink a wire mesh basket into the ground, fill with soil, and plant the bulbs inside it.
Pest Problems. Prevent pest and disease problems next year by removing plant waste on the ground that can become home to slugs and disease spores. Compost dead or dying disease-free annuals. Diseased plant parts go in the garbage.
Potted Plants. Move tender potted plants to a protected area before the first frost arrives.
Lawn Care. Fertilize the lawn with a complete organic fertilizer recommended for fall application.
Eat Local. Support local farmers by purchasing fall produce like carrots, potatoes, and winter squash at farmers markets and farmstands.
