A Moment of Rest

Our hot season arrived fast and intense, like a wildfire in a forest of dry timber. I spent last week on the Oregon Coast, reveling in the 60-degree temperatures and walks in the sand. It was longest I’ve gone without gardening in a long time (my fingernails were the cleanest they’ve ever been), and I returned feeling ready for fall. That was until I felt the intensity of this hot weather and the weight of the smoke in the valley.

Hooch enjoying the cool air and freezing cold ocean on the Oregon Coast.

If you’re like me, you’re feeling worn out quickly from the heat and smoky sun. I’m aiming to rise earlier than usual to accomplish what I want to in our in-ground garden in the coolest hours of dim daylight. On Sunday, I started weeding and pruning and quickly became overwhelmed with the jungle that in-ground garden is compared to my raised beds.

My raised beds are a place of respite. There are very few weeds, supportive structures to organize my plants for pruning, and I have so much more control over each plant’s nutrition that fertilizing is a breeze. Compared to the three hours I spent in the lot garden on Sunday, I pruned and harvested from all three of my raised beds for just an hour this morning.

Pruning Can Be Pretty, too!

In the midst of all the current to-do’s, the garden industry is telling me I ought to be planning and planting for fall in my garden. I don’t know about you, but the idea of planting in this heat is enough to make me start sweating. I will start planting for fall soon, but I am going to begin with some thoughtful planning before I do.

This week, I’m taking inventory of my garden’s current needs. Instead of avoiding the problem areas in my garden (yes, I have them, too!) by digging into my seed packets and buying more plants, I’m spending time looking at each area. With only my notebook in hand (no hori hori knife today!), I ask myself these questions:

• Are there weeds I’ve been avoiding in certain areas (like the wasp-filled grassy patch that sent me diving for the Benadryl yesterday)?

• Where can I prune my plants of brown/yellow leaves and extraneous foliage to promote fruit setting?

• What’s the composition of my soil right now? Where do I need to add larger quantities of compost than usual?

• Are there areas getting too much water? Not enough?

• Are there plants that are no longer serving me that need to be removed? How much square footage is available for fall plants?

• How are you feeling about what you’ve planted? What has brought your joy to grow and what can you do without next season?

This set of questions can work to get you past hot-weather-overwhelm in any garden setup. Ask yourself these questions, estimate how much time it will take to resolve the problems in your garden, and split this time up on your calendar into increments as long as one hour or as short as 5 minutes. Add these garden tasks to your calendar, set a time and get them done. Once you do, we’ll be ready to plan for fall with a much clearer head.

I can’t believe I was wearing a beanie and a hoodie last week in Oregon.

While many of us are dreaming of cooler days, remember that our favorite summer veggies are just about to really come on in full force. Your plants are strong and so are you; you can get through this weather and so can they. Take equal time to rest, enjoying the season we’re in, as you are in being productive in your garden.

As you thoughtfully plan for fall and have questions about your garden’s setup, now is a great time to make plans for a redesign. I’m scheduling installations for the fall now, including in my own backyard. Send me a note with your questions.