The Freshness of Fall: It feels like fall. The mornings are clean and clear. The afternoon light is beginning to reflect like alpenglow, low on the horizon, shadows laying out in autumn directions. But not just yet...This is the season for grass seed and fertilizer. As I have described here before, these late-summer/early-fall rains are cooler and heavier. They lay the grass seed heads down to the ground in the natural re-seeding methodology. So if you are planting seed - whether over a larger area for erosion control or as center pieces like the Big Blue Stem or for pasture or hayground - now is the time. While the ground is wet, or just after irrigation, spread seed and fertilizer, or hand-plant seed. At this point in the season they will germinate and start small grasses, which will send down roots and then go dormant for winter and are ready for growth in the spring. Guess how Im spending my morning! *** This is also the time to place perennial flower seed, like blanket flower, coneflower, spirea, penstemon. My clients have repeatedly heard me say place not plant. We tend to think of sticking a seed deep in the soil with the word plant. These seeds do the same thing as the grass seed. The heavy flower seeded heads are weighted to the ground where the seed is released on the wet soil surface and adheres because of the dampness. They require weeks of winter cold to prepare them for germination in the spring. Do not cover them; gently press them into the surface.***Thanks again to all of my customers and clients and new friends who share this view of the world. Your support through purchases has allowed me to move to the next level of training: I have one of 25 places in the Cornell University online certification course for Permaculture Design this fall. The program is three 6.5 week courses. Successful completion plus the project portfolio are submitted to the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute as application for an internationally-recognized certification. My goal is to improve my knowledge and skills. It is a bit expensive but Im hoping this will increase my ability to move people in this direction. And those of you who have given me your trust and money have allowed me to apply for this first-of-three courses. Wish me luck. Hope to see you all again at Farmers Market through the end of September. Namaste.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 15:42:40 +0000
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