I received an email today with the subject line “Get a head start on fall planting!” Right away I knew it wasn’t written by a knowledgeable gardener. People who know about gardening in our climate know that a “head start” on fall planting is a death sentence for plants. We know to wait until that one morning in October when the air suddenly feels like fall – a little cool, a touch humid. On that morning, it’s like the whole earth takes a deep breath and says “Summer’s over. Now, get busy.”
Why do we wait to plant in the cool months? It’s when plants have the best chance of establishing and thriving. Here’s why:
All plants experience transplant shock. In the nursery, their roots grow all cozy and comfy in their pot. When we bring the plants home, we yank ‘em out of their pots, shake those roots up, then stick them in a hole surrounded by totally foreign soil, under harsh sunlight, and watered when we remember – some of us water too often and some not enough.
Wouldn’t you be shocked?
But wait! In summer, there’s more. Imagine being a plant undergoing transplant shock when the air is hot and dry, temperatures range from the 70s to 100s (or higher), the sun beats down on your leaves for 12 to 15 hours for days on end, and there’s zero rain.
Kinda stressful, right?
So add heat stress to transplant shock and summer planting is a double whammy. Yes, the professionals do it, but they know how to manage it, and they are willing to accept some mortality. To us home gardeners, each plant is precious, and every death is a blow to our hearts.
That’s why we don’t plant in summer and why we don’t want a head start on fall planting.
That said, this is the perfect time to be PLANNING for fall. What do you dream about planting? Where are there opportunities to add more plants to your garden? How do you know which plants will work best in your garden? What is the best way to plant natives, non natives, and everything else?
These are all the questions to be asking now, to give you that head start once it’s time to plant for fall. And this is what I’m talking about in my next Third Thursday webinar:
Pro Tips for Fall Planting Join me on Thursday, September 19th, at 7 pm. Get your tickets today!