Gardener’s almanac (Sept. 20)

Plant – Fescue grass seed, lettuce, spinach.

Stories of summer – As the weather cools, here are a couple of stories of summer successes I’ve received recently:

▪ Butternut squash taking over: A butternut squash came up in one of Diane and Tom Gossen’s compost bins and has taken over the vegetable garden. “This plant spans all five of our large compost bins, trails down the side, crosses over the path into our asparagus bed and continues to vine throughout that bed and down into the next aisle,” the Gossens wrote in an email. “There is a large boxwood at the end of our compost bins, and the plant produced so many squash on top of the boxwood that we had to lay boards on top to support the fruits.

“We had stopped planting squash due to frustrations with squash bugs and vine borers and have just purchased them at the farmer’s market for the last few years. We always have some volunteer squash come up in the compost, but this is the first year it has survived. … After the last several summers’ heat and drought, this summer has made gardening worthwhile again.”

▪ Best okra: Bobby Oates says he’s had “a great crop of okra this year, and it is still growing. It is 6 feet tall. It is the tallest okra I have ever had.” It gets even better in the cool weather, he says. I’ve noticed the same of the tropical hibiscus in my yard.

Plant a Row for the Hungry – If you have fruit or vegetables from your garden at their peak that you would like to give to people in need, you can take the produce to these locations during business hours:

Kansas Food Bank, 1919 E. Douglas; Augusta Ace Home Center, 316 W. Seventh, Augusta; Brady Nursery, 11200 W. Kellogg; Hillside Nursery, 2200 S. Hillside; Hillside Feed and Seed, 1805 S. Hillside; Johnson’s Garden Centers, 802 N. Ridge Road, 21st and Woodlawn, 2707 W. 13th St.; and Valley Feed & Seed, 1903 S. Meridian.

Garden events

Plant sale this weekend – The Derby Garden Club will have a plant sale of perennials and other plants from members’ gardens on Saturday. The sale will be from 8 a.m. to noon at Triangle Park, at the corner of Kay and Derby streets. Proceeds will go to Derby community projects.

Italian Saturday Sampler – “Italy Beyond Tomatoes and Basil” is the theme of the last Saturday Sampler of the season at the Extension Center. It will be at 9 a.m. Sept. 20 in the Demonstration Garden at 21st and Ridge Road. Extension agents will give gardening and cooking tips, and there will be food samples. It’s free.

Perennials-for-arrangements talk – A program on perennials you can grow that make good material for flower arrangements will be offered Monday at the meeting of the Prairie Winds Daylily Club. Floanna Crowley will give the presentation at 7 p.m. at Botanica. It’s free and open to the public.

Tuesdays on the Terrace – There are two more Tuesdays on the Terrace at Botanica this season. This Tuesday the theme is Periwinkles & Planter’s Punch, with music by Nikki Moddelmog. Food and drinks will be for sale. Hours are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; gardens are open until 8. Cover is $7, or $3 for members.

Tree talk – Jason Griffin, director of the John C. Pair Horticultural Center, will be at Botanica on Wednesday to talk about the trees of south-central Kansas. The lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission.

Shade tree tour – A free tour of the Sedgwick County Extension Arboretum at 21st and Ridge Road will be offered on the evening of Sept. 30 to show people shade trees that are adapted to the wind, climate and soil of our area. Extension agent Bob Neier will lead the brisk walking tour outside the Extension Center starting at 5:30 p.m. Register by contacting Jackie Fees at 316-660-0143 or jfees@ksu.edu.

This story was originally published September 20, 2014 at 8:23 AM with the headline "Gardener’s almanac (Sept. 20)."