Wichita gardener’s almanac for Aug. 6, 2016
Fall gardens — Now that it’s starting to cool down just slightly, the idea of a fall garden may seem more doable. Lettuce, radishes and spinach are among the vegetables that can be planted now for later harvest, according to Ward Upham of K-State in this week’s Horticulture 2016 newsletter.
“There still is time to raise another crop of green beans along with some summer squash,” Upham writes. “If you can find plants, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower can also mature during the fall season.”
Just plant seeds a bit deeper for a fall garden and be sure to water enough in the heat, Upham says. Don’t fertilize heavily in the heat, and save deep till and addition of organic matter for later in the fall.
“If you have some crop residue to remove from a previous crop, chop the residue with a lawnmower and lightly till the soil surface after the residue has had a chance to dry for two to three days.”
Pokeweed poking up — Pokeweed is a dramatic plant that shows up with purple-black berries dangling from the stems. It’s a perennial whose every part is poisonous, so you will want to remove the weeds and dispose of them, especially if children or animals might get into them. And since it comes back year after year, you may want to spray it with a herbicide next year before it is grows big enough to draw the attention of children, he says.
Garden events
Tuesdays on the Terrace — Red-dirt-country musicians Tim Jonas & the Whiskey Militia will perform at the next Tuesdays on the Terrace at Botanica, 701 N. Amidon. The weekly theme is Begonias and Bourbon Press. The after-work festivities start at 6 p.m. Tuesday and run until 8, featuring dinner and drinks for sale along with the music and the gardens to explore. Admission is $10, $5 for members.
Photo program at rose meeting — Photographer Paul Hudson of Lawrence Photo will be at the next meeting of the Wichita Rose Society, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica. The gathering will begin with social time followed by Hudson’s educational program that will include an overview of photography and then time in the gardens to learn about composition of photos. The meeting is free and open to the public, and participants are invited to bring their camera or device that has a camera in it.
Talk on fall care of fescue — Ward Upham of K-State will be in Wichita on Wednesday to give a lunchtime lecture at Botanica on how to establish and care for a fescue lawn in the fall. His talk, at 12:15 p.m., is included in Botanica admission or membership. Lunch is available for $8 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Annie Calovich
This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for Aug. 6, 2016."