September 2003 Table of Contents

GARDENING
by Jack Hardy

It’s that time of the year again when we can start dreaming of cabbages and king size vegetable crops. Some Abaco gardeners advise waiting until October before putting down your main crops, but September gives you a good start. If anything goes wrong, you can always start again.

Plant your seeds in containers of loose soil with plenty of aeration. Quick root growth is important. Plant them far enough apart so you can comfortably remove them individually when they are a couple of inches tall and have developed true leaves. “Damping off” is a problem with young seedlings and is best avoided by keeping the soil fairly dry, not sodden.

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, cabbage family and herbs are good early planting candidates. Hold on until October for your lettuce, spinach, garden peas and other cool weather crops.

Like it or not, the month of September is the one when we are most likely to experience tropical depressions and storms. So long as they do not develop into hurricanes, gardeners can take advantage of rainy and cloudy days in which to put transplants into the ground. Carrots, onions and other root crops can be established by seed.

Here on Abaco, gardeners can keep an eye on when Pine Woods Nursery in Marsh Harbour gets in its new season vegetable and herb starts. They will be sure to put you ahead of the game.

September 2003 Table of Contents