Beat the summer garden blues
Plus: The news of the week — Aldersgate details recovery plan; Charlotte loses 50th out of 50 status; Delays at Charlotte's airport; Hornets announcer dies; N.C.'s Olympics ties
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Backyard & Beyond: Farmers and garden experts share advice on revitalizing your Charlotte garden with late-season planting.
Welcome to Backyard & Beyond, our occasional series of stories aimed at giving you gardening ideas and inspiration. Whether you long to grow some of your own food, ditch your cookie-cutter landscaping or just make your yard more welcoming, we’re here for you!
by Amber Veverka
Are you sick of gardening yet?
If so, Daniel Austin, a fourth-generation farmer in Huntersville, is right there with you. Yes, making a living from the soil is a noble and beautiful thing. But come in-high-90s late July, Austin said what he’s really thinking is: Time for a vacation.
“Instead,” he added, “I’m milking goats.”
(Charlotte gardeners, take heart. At least you are not milking goats.)
And right now there’s a short window to hit the reset button on your garden, whether it’s in the ground, a raised bed or some patio plots. If Charlotte’s scorched-earth temperatures have not killed all your interest in growing things, there’s still time to plant a few vegetables and herbs for a quick harvest, and gather flower seed, before the true later-fall growing season begins.
Daniel Austin and Jova Jamison grow a variety of vegetables at Austin-Kidd Farm in Huntersville, and beans are their most reliable mid-summer crop. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Austin)
First, know when to fold. If you still have lettuce, kale, arugula or other leafy greens hanging around, the heat will have made them bitter. And, unless you’re a committed sprayer of chemicals, the aphids, cabbage worms, harlequin bugs and flea beetles will have made them party central for feasting and reproduction. Pull them out. Compost them if you have a hot compost heap that will cook the material down quickly and kill insect eggs. If your tomatoes are engulfed in blight, throw them in the trash.
Consider cutting your losses on zucchini if the squash bugs are more prolific than the zucchini. And are you seeing holes and slimy gunk on the outside of your winter squash? This may be the work of a pickleworm. (Sounds so cute! It isn’t.)
Next, plant pesto. Or rather, basil and other herbs. If you use a lot of fresh herbs in cooking, you almost can’t have too much parsley, basil and dill. You can get basil from seed to maturity in 65 days and the same with dill if you’re harvesting leaves rather than heads. Parsley takes longer — start from a small plant. With your existing basil, pinch off flowers to keep the plant from going to seed and keep harvesting leaves.
Sow lettuce — with care. It’s very hot for lettuce now, but the seedlings can grow with light shade — even just sheer curtain tented loosely on stakes. “Lettuce should be ready in September,” said Carrie Marshall, Mecklenburg County Extension master gardener. She noted that microgreens (tiny seedlings of vegetables such as kale and broccoli) are another good choice.
Consider cucumbers and carrots. Carla Vitez is a longtime leader of a kids’ gardening program at Winterfield Community Garden in east Charlotte where part of the space is dedicated to a children’s education garden. She’s had success this time of year in planting carrots — in a raised bed, because they need soft, fluffy soil — and another round of cukes. Yes, cucumbers are the delight of insects, but starting some now may provide better results. “We’ve had better luck with cucumbers from July 1 to August 15 in the education garden,” Vitez said. “You could make a little trellis (on a) a slant and have cucumbers on outside of that and underneath in that shade get spinach started.”
Bet on beans. Farmers Daniel Austin and Jova Jamison grow a wide variety of vegetables at Austin-Kidd farm, but in the middle of summer, the crop they can count on is beans. “You can produce a bean in 60 days,” Austin said. Pole and bush beans germinate quickly and this time of year may face less pest pressure than their typical first planting in spring. Other beans to plant if you have space (along a fence is great) are the so-called field peas — actually beans — that you shell. “Now’s a good time for crowder peas,” Austin said. “I’m going to plant them this week. They’re also about 60 days.” Or try field peas’ cousins with the cool names: Pinkeye purple hull, lady cream peas and zipper peas.
(Clockwise, starting top-left): Now is a good time to collect seed from spent zinnia blossoms for next year; end-of-summer is perfect for planting a final round of field peas; kudzu bugs eat kudzu as well as valuable crops, and you’ll find them on the exterior of homes; fennel flowers draw butterflies. (Photos by Amber Veverka)
Begin your beets. In another week, you can sow beets from seed. Dampen the seed before planting to encourage germination, thin the seedlings to one per clump and keep them watered. The baby plants may appreciate some shading.
Bless the butterflies with fennel. An herb and vegetable all in one, bulb fennel can produce a crispy and tasty bulb in 90 days when grown from seed — likely just making it before frost — but you’ll have the mildly anise-flavored foliage and seeds before that. Just as important, butterflies love this plant and, miracle-of-miracles: It doesn’t mind our clay.
Fill in with color. For a quick-hit flower that will bloom in perfect-for-fall colors, plant marigolds. It’s easy to be dismissive of this stalwart standby. But look. It’s late summer, we’re all tired, and it’s nice to put something in the ground that will just work. Vitez and other volunteers recently worked with a Girl Scout troop interested in planting Aztec marigolds, to use for a “Day of the Dead” display in fall. Or how about nasturtiums? These are edible and will cascade over the edges of a pot. Collect seed from your drying zinnia flowers for next year.
The main thing, said Austin, is don’t bail out just yet. “Keep going,” he said. “Start applying compost. (You may be) planning instead of planting. You’re only looking at a month to start getting your fall stuff in.”
It’s time to …
Harvest new potatoes. If you planted potatoes in a raised bed, bag or pot, their foliage should have died back (unless they are a longer-maturity storage variety). Gently dig up the potatoes. If you accidentally nick one, eat it right away.
Name that bug. Learn to ID insects with an app. One we like is Seek by iNaturalist. Using this free app, reader Catriona Anderson identified one pest that’s the talk of Charlotte Nextdoor right now: the kudzu bug. Yes, they do eat kudzu. But unfortunately, they also devour valuable crops and right now are blanketing the exterior of homes in our area.
Experiment with mushrooms. No, not that kind. Wine cap mushrooms can be grown on straw or wood chips. These dark-capped mushrooms have a mild flavor and crisp texture and can be planted now. Learn more.
Rearrange the furniture. Enjoying summer flowers and thinking of changing up next year’s plantings? Snip some blooming stalks and walk around the yard with them, standing them up in different spots. Like moving your sofa to see how it might look in a new arrangement, testing out flowers against companion plantings will help you plan for 2025.
Amber Veverka is contributor to The Ledger. Reach her at askbackyard@gmail.com.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Mood House. You need a massage! Allure Magazine named Mood House a “must-visit” concept in the United States, and the popular massage studio was recently voted #1 best massage in Charlotte.
This week in Charlotte: Violent crime rises; JetBlue leaving Charlotte; Trump rally at Bojangles Coliseum; Cooper VP speculation; CMS teachers’ checks to shrink
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
Teachers to feel a pinch with this year’s paychecks: (WFAE) Many Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers will lose significant pay due to the expiration of federal Covid aid that provided bonuses to address teacher shortages.
UNC Charlotte to close DEI office: (WUNC) UNC Charlotte is closing its office on diversity, equity and inclusion and plans to shift its eight employees to other areas at the university in response to a directive from the UNC Board of Governors.
Politics
Cooper addresses VP speculation: (WFAE) Gov. Roy Cooper addressed speculation about being Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election, saying it’s too early to discuss potential running mates and emphasizing that the focus should be on supporting Harris’ campaign.
Trump in Charlotte: Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Charlotte on Wednesday at the Bojangles Coliseum. It was his first rally since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. (Axios Charlotte)
Local News
50th out of 50 no more: (Axios Charlotte) In 2014, Opportunity Insights research firm ranked Charlotte No. 50 out of 50 cities for children moving from low-income to high-income households, spurring widespread concern and philanthropic initiatives. But the most recent data says that Charlotte’s ranking is now No. 38 out of 50. Atlanta is the new No. 50.
Violent crime rises: (WFAE) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reported a 1% overall crime increase for 2024 so far, with violent crimes up 8%, including a 36% rise in homicides. Juvenile crime is also on the rise, with 12 juveniles charged with homicide this year and nearly 1,700 juvenile arrests overall.
Business
JetBlue ends Charlotte flights: (Ledger) JetBlue will end its service to Charlotte on Oct. 26 after 18 years, citing underperformance and lack of customer demand, and will focus on other markets in New England and Florida.
Belk restructures finances: (Observer) Charlotte-based retailer Belk has restructured its balance sheet, reducing its debt by $950M and attracting $485M in new financing. The transaction gives greater control of the company to private equity firms KKR and Hein Park.
Sports
In memoriam: (Observer) Patrick “Big Pat” Doughty, the beloved public address announcer for the Charlotte Hornets, died Tuesday at 55.
N.C.’s Olympic athletes: More than 50 athletes with North Carolina ties will compete in the Summer Olympics, which began Friday in Paris. Axios Charlotte has a list.
From the Ledger family of newsletters…
Year-long EV experiment: After a year of driving a Ford Mach-E, Charlotte lawyer Marc Gustafson shares his experience with his first electric vehicle. Listen to the full conversation on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.
Plus: Risqué uptown billboard; Toppman reviews “Ripcord” in Davidson; New Charlotte Checkers owner wants practice facility
A miserable summer for air travel: Charlotte travelers have faced significant delays this summer at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, compounded by construction, heavy traffic and the recent global tech meltdown.
Plus: Southern Christmas Show moving forward even if venue sold; County’s “Foam-A-Saurus Rex” wins award
Aldersgate charts its recovery path: The Aldersgate retirement community in east Charlotte, after facing significant financial challenges and state oversight, is now implementing major organizational changes and exploring a potential sale or merger to achieve stability and improve resident satisfaction.
Plus: New commercial real estate “Whispers” on falling rent prices, land sales in Plaza-Midwood, the rezoning of the old Sam Ash Music Store off Tyvola and the sale of a University City shopping center; Animatronic grand reopening at Chuck E. Cheese; New podcast on skilled volunteering
10 things we've learned about Charlotte FC’s ‘gaffer’: (Futbol Friday) Head Coach Dean Smith’s approach at Charlotte FC has transformed the team into a serious contender. Here are 10 things worth noting about Smith’s leadership so far.
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