Thrive: Growth in the middle of the 2023-2024 school year
September paves the way for beautiful sunsets
Autumn will arrive in another three weeks. The days are still getting shorter by a minute each evening, and soon there will be more September air as we move further into the month. Summer annuals are already slowing down and signaling to us that they know fall is not far away. The leaves of some silver maple trees actually show a touch of gold. With the sun setting one minute earlier each evening, we can actually see a small amount of color added at sunset. As we pass the mid-month mark, we will see a greater amount of colors such as pink, purple, yellow, orange, red and burgundy as the fall artist displays his handiwork on the fall skyline.
Rest in early September in the park
The garden in September is a place of comfort and joy with temperatures accompanied by low humidity and some rainy days mixed in to spice up cool-weather vegetable varieties. The garden soil is workable and receptive to fall vegetables. There are not many insects and weeds to disturb the newly planted vegetables. Some warm weather vegetables are still being harvested and there are still plenty of days to plant and grow plants and vegetables in the fall. September brings us the best of both worlds to enjoy in the garden world.
September is dedicated to the Cole family’s crops
Cole family crops such as brassicas, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts can now be identified. These are very cold tolerant and will produce crops until early spring. Most Cole family vegetables are available in six- and nine-packs. Always purchase plants that have blue-green stems that have not emerged from their containers or have dried, wet stems. A healthy plant will be dark green in color. Place Cole family vegetables about 3 feet apart in a furrow about 6 or 7 inches deep. Place a layer of peat moss at the bottom of the furrow, then a layer of organic vegetable garden soil and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow. Water with a water stick when there is no rain in the forecast. Feed Plant Tone once a month and tamp on both sides to cover the plant and support the vegetables as they continue to grow. When frost time arrives, place a layer of crushed leaves between rows to protect against freezes and weather extremes.
Four o’clock presents the final big show
Four o’clock has been putting on a colorful display since mid-June and still has plenty of flowers heading into season. It was my grandmother’s favorite flower, perhaps because it produced flowers over a long season. Most varieties will bloom until frost arrives.
Easy apple pies to make
These dumplings are easy to prepare simply because they are made with canned dumpling biscuits. You will need two packages of canned Hungry Jack crackers (20 crackers), ten tart apples, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 sticks melted light margarine, 1 can evaporated milk, and 2 teaspoons apple pie spice. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the core and seeds. Soak in salt water to prevent browning. Roll out each biscuit until it is flat. Rinse apples in fresh water to remove salt. Place half an apple on each rolled cookie, and sprinkle half the apple with sugar. Place dumplings in a baking dish or pan sprayed with Pam baking spray. Make sure to roll the apple into each cookie. Mix 1 cup sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 sticks melted light margarine, 1 can evaporated milk, and 2 teaspoons apple pie spice. Pour the mixture over the dumplings. Bake it at 350 degrees until the biscuits are golden in color. Serve with Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream.
The leaves show signs of falling
With a sip of September air, the leaves show their first hints of color and the dogwood trees shed many of their leaves. There is actually some gold showing in the maple trees. Soon the hickories, poplars, and mighty oaks will show their colors, and their leaves will be aglow with color.
Apples of many colors are now in season
The season of colorful and crunchy apples is now upon us. They come in many colors including red, yellow, green, pink and gold. You can enjoy their displays at produce markets, roadside markets and fruit stands in bushel baskets. You can prepare apples for pies, cakes, cobblers, dumplings, and salads such as Waldorf made with fresh apples. To avoid apples from turning brown after peeling them, place them in salted water or sprinkle them with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Rinse it when you are ready to use it.
Cranberry, apple, grapes, crunchy salad
Apples are the highlight of this fall’s crunchy fruit salad that’s as colorful as fall in all its glory. You’ll need one full can of cranberry sauce, one ounce box of raspberry jello, 1/2 cup sugar, three or four diced apples, two cups seedless red grapes, one cup seedless golden raisins, and one 8-ounce box finely grated or shredded from Mild or mild Colby Jack cheese. Cheddar and a half cup of mayonnaise. Mix the jelly with a cup and a half of boiling water, then add the sugar and leave it to cool. Peel the apple, cut it into cubes, and add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add the other ingredients and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Prepare ferns for late fall and winter
These ferns were lush green and beautiful from late spring through early fall. Now is the time to start preparing them for the winter in your sunny living room until late spring. They’ve done some preparation for the next few weeks. Keep them watered every week and add enough potting medium to fill the containers. Feed them with organic flower food and work it into the soil. Cut off all long runners and dead foliage. Move them out of direct sun.
Siberian cabbage: sweetness in the fall garden
Siberian cabbage is the sweetest, sweetest green in winter. It’s great cooked green. It can be chopped, made into a salad, and canned as a vegetable year-round. It can be harvested even when covered with snow. It is winter hardy and can be harvested until early spring.
Preparing American bee balm for the winter
An American bee balm plant is ready to spend the winter protected from the cold weather at the back of your front porch. To keep it protected from freezing temperatures, cut the plant back to 10 or 12 inches. Fill the container with potting medium and feed it with organic flower food. Water lightly once a week. Cover them on freezing nights with 10 plastic grocery bags stacked together and cover the bags with two cardboard covers taped together and placed over the plastic bags for snow and winter protection. On sunny days, discover the balm when temperatures rise above freezing. Cover every night when the temperature drops.
It’s time to buy bulbs for spring planting
Bulbs for spring planting are now in Hardware, Walmart, nurseries and garden centers as well as Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Ace Hardware and Tractor Supply. You can choose from tulips, crocuses, daffodils, junquils, daffodils, snowdrops and hyacinths. Lilies come in red, yellow, pink, blue, lavender, white and purple. The best way to buy them is to put them in mesh bags so you can see, feel and touch the bulbs to inspect what you are buying. You can also purchase lilies individually from boxes. Be sure to label the colors if you purchase lilies from boxes. Saffron comes in a variety of colors in mesh bags as well as tulips, gingkels and King Alfred’s daffodils. Buy bulbs now and set them up in early October.
Buy bulb booster and bone meal
While you are purchasing bulbs, purchase some bags of bulb strengtheners and bone meal to start your spring bulbs on their journey into colorful and fragrant harbingers of spring. Place the booster at the bottom of the area where you place the bulbs and apply a layer of bone meal over the bulbs before covering them with moss and soil. Before the soil freezes, cover the area where you plant the bulbs with a layer of crushed leaves and top the leaves with more bone meal.
How how how down
“Dominant woman.” Customer: “I came back to buy the TV I was watching yesterday.” Salesperson: “That’s great. May I ask you what was the overriding factor that determined your purchase of this TV?” Customer: “My wife.”
“What a surprise!” Customer: “I want to buy a bottle of Chanel No. 5 for my wife’s birthday.” Saleswoman: “Your wife will definitely be surprised.” Customer: “Sure she will, she’s expecting a Cadillac!”
“Asleep in the movie.” Actress: “Come and see my new movie.” Friend: “Yes, I will, I always feel so much better after a good sleep at the movies.”
Calendar for September
Labor Day will be Monday, September 4th. The moon will reach its last quarter on Wednesday, September 6. Grandparents Day will be on Sunday, September 10. National Day will be Monday, September 11. There will be a new moon on the evening of Thursday, September 14. The moon reaches its first quarter on Friday, September 22. Fall begins on Saturday, September 23. Yom Kipper begins at sunset on Sunday, September 24. September will be Friday, September 29th. The name of this moon will be Full Harvest Moon. It is also known as the full corn moon and the full yellow leaf moon.
