City gardens in autumn - this is how they transform, and so do you

from Elizabeth

It is the light that captivates me every year. Its warmth makes me say goodbye to summer easily. I love the mornings and evenings in late summer. How they envelop me with their cool, damp air and announce a change. Life is change. Nature tells us about it over and over again, every year.

So here we go: Every little farewell brings a new beginning. I feel this particularly in the garden, whether large or small. While the last tomatoes ripen more and more slowly, pots become free one by one and gaps appear in the planting bed that need to be filled again. Because as I always say: The earth doesn't like being naked - especially when it comes to winter. After all, we also turn to hats , gloves and scarves when it gets colder outside (❁´◡`❁) ...

In this blog post I would like to share with you what I am doing in my city gardens in September and October. In the meantime, until I really winterize them. So if you've planted a small urban garden for the first time this year, whether on the balcony, roof or courtyard, then the following information might inspire you. No matter what, please don't (just) think about working through to-do lists or feel guilty about it. Everything has it's time. And late summer or early autumn is one of the most beautiful times to enjoy the abundance of nature once again and think about tomorrow - even in a small (garden) space.

Speaking of enjoying: Harvest, dry and preserve your garden treasures now

• I'm harvesting a lot of cut flowers, edible flowers and herbs these days. I dry or press them. This works wonderfully in a flower press if you want to make beautiful plant collages with the plants in winter or want to create a herbarium. I lay out edible flowers and herbs on small wooden plates or linen towels or hang them upside down on a hook to dry. The best place for this is a warm, dry room. After about two weeks they will have dried thoroughly and will crackle a bit - that's your sign! Now you can fill them into cork jars , for example, and store and use them for up to a year. Note that not all herbs retain their aroma when dried. Parsley or lovage, as well as basil, are not particularly suitable for drying. You can make wonderful wreaths out of dried flowers or simply incorporate them into your Christmas wreath this year?! Of course, the majority of my edible flowers and dried herbs go into the granola and tea varieties in the Sprießerie every year. So if you don't have the time or inclination to conserve this year, then treat yourself to a bit of garden enjoyment.

 

• Your own seeds are wonderful, especially because you can make a small, important contribution to the preservation of vegetable, flower and plant varieties. So take seeds from your plants these days and use them again next year. This is particularly easy with marigolds , for example. The faded flower has probably now formed seeds (I call them little worms). It's best to let them dry on the plant and harvest them on a dry day. They should be easy to remove from the flower head with your fingers. An important prerequisite for this is that you have grown your plants from organic, solid seeds. Otherwise the plant would lose its typical varietal characteristics in the second generation. In my shop I therefore make sure to only offer seed-proof and, whenever possible, organically grown seeds. The wonderful Advent calendars in the shop provide a wonderful opportunity to simply try out organic, solid seeds. You should definitely save the edition for urban gardeners for the Advent season.

• I also harvest vegetables such as beetroot, pumpkin and tomatoes these days. Please do not throw away the green tomatoes. Let them continue to ripen in an airy dish at room temperature. After a few weeks they are red, yellow or ... depending on the variety, and you are looking forward to a fruity treat at Christmas time. I like to store beets or carrots in a cool place in wooden boxes .

Speaking of new beginnings: Plant, sow, enjoy strong plants and a small winter harvest

• If you have a south-facing balcony/garden that enjoys more than five hours of sun even in winter, sow winter-hardy vegetables such as spinach, field or Asian lettuce again now. On frost-free days you can safely harvest and enjoy it over the winter. You can also leave small young plants of hardy vegetables such as chard or fennel in the ground over the winter. And perhaps the first leaves are already appearing on the kale by now. The first ones are the most tender, simply delicious... Assuming you sowed them in July/August, as suggested in the last blog post .

• In general, autumn is my favorite planting time. In my experience, plants such as berry bushes, (potted) roses and of course perennials grow extremely well in the relatively warm, humid season and, in contrast to their counterparts planted in spring, have a real advantage in terms of growth and resistance. In my sowing and planting calendar , I have listed my favorite plants sorted by month, which you can plant and sow in city gardens now and over the next few months. For example, cold germinators, so-called cool flowers, are ideal. You can find seeds for cold germinators, i.e. annual flowers that need a cold stimulus to germinate, in the Sprießerie Shop. My favorite varieties are wild carrots , sweet peas , snapdragons and beautiful double cornflowers . By the way, all flowers of these plants are edible.

• I also plant garlic now in September, preferably next to strawberries. Garlic is considered a natural remedy against gray mold (Botrytis) in strawberries. It is also said to ensure more aromatic fruits and a richer harvest. To do this, I stick organic garlic cloves into the soil, either along the outside of the bed or close to each individual strawberry plant. You can find a short video guide here . In spring I am always particularly happy when garlic is one of the first to sprout in the garden. Then at the latest I know that the magical cycle of nature will start all over again.

For more tips and tricks about urban gardens, join me on Instagram and Facebook in my gardening season. Feel free to link me if you sow, plant or otherwise want to support me. I am always very happy to see what emerges and grows from the Sprießerie products.

And: Feel free to write to me if you have any questions or would like support in designing your city or balcony garden. I would be very happy.

For now, I wish you a lot of fun urban gardening in autumn and, above all, always enough time to enjoy.

Usefull links:

- Seeds for young and old

- All products in the garden range

- Products for your green home