Welcome to Fall! Ok, yes there are a few weeks left, but the first day of autumn arrives September 22. This means many things: fall harvests are rolling in, so lots of fresh salads, apple pies, and canning; the kids are back in school; it's time to plan that Labor Day cookout (or day in the garden!); leaves will begin to turn; and you'll want to dig out your favorite sweater for cooler evenings.

We start shipping live plants to northern regions so they'll have a chance to establish in the ground before going dormant for winter. In a few weeks we'll be shipping plant orders nationwide, depending on temperatures; for example, here in the South it's finally getting cool enough to plant!

September for us also means putting together the Spring catalogs, doing the photography and writing, and getting very excited about the new selections coming your way in 2010! You may have seen some of the new varieties here in our trials gardens if you came to visit us on Flower Day in June.

There's still a lot of fall planting to be done! We're wrapping up the summer trial gardens, and Doc is sowing for the fall trials now: Pansies, Violas, Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, and Snapdragons. These will likely be planted out in October for the cool season trials.

Whenever we talk about Victory Gardens, we are apt to focus on growing edibles. During WWI and WWII, hearty home front Allies grew lots of vegetables, lest the war-time shortages and rationing interfere with feeding the family.

But the truth is, Victory Gardens of that era also contained flowers. And producing flowers was also considered valuable to the Victory effort.

According to our own 1943 catalog, Little Mr. Economy was not only growing food; he was also "...Stacking up, too, against that time when there may not be enough good cheer to go around — you know how, don't you? Why, by growing plenty of cheerful flowers. I've found that I can have just as many flowers as ever and still have plenty left for the 'rainy day.'"

So as you design your Fall Victory Garden, don't forget to include some good cheer and inexpensive beauty by including plenty of flowers in your plans! I'll bet these will give you and your garden a sense of victory: Azalea 'Nuccios's Happy Days', Sunflower 'Sunny Smile', Rose Carefree Delight™, and Hollyhock Happy Lights Mix.

Isn't it wonderful to be harvesting all these fresh fruits and vegetables? This is a bountiful time of year — basket after basket of apples, zucchini, tomatoes, zucchini, bush beans, zucchini, berries, squash, figs, and zucchini! (Hmm, perhaps I over-planted zucchini this year.) Soon enough though, we'll have it coming out our ears, and it starts to spoil faster than we can eat it or give it away, and then we start winter with no more harvest and spoiled leftovers.

But if you preserve a portion of your harvests, the bounty continues all winter with your own jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, sauces, chutneys, ciders, jerky, soups, stocks, ketchup, vinegars, dips, stews, marinades, pie filling, salsas, herb butters, fruit butters... you get the idea.

What — think canning isn't for you? It's not the paraffin-rimmed jars you're thinking of from the old days! If you haven't tried canning recently, it's one of the hottest things for young and old, new and experienced, gardeners and cooks.

There are also many freezing and drying methods to get fruits, veggies, and herbs to last the winter; even old-fashioned root cellar methods still work today. (And if you are an experienced canner, check out our new contest below!)

"The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest" by Carol W. Costenbader is an excellent resource for freezing, canning, drying, and pickling! It includes clear illustrations and thorough yet understandable explanations for beginners or experienced preservers alike, such when to harvest and what to look for as well as a list of fruits and vegetables with how they can be preserved. Numerous methods and variations are covered, complete with step-by-step instructions, tips, equipment lists, recipes, and even gift-giving ideas!

• Plant your garlic and lettuce
• Colchicums: EASY. Sometimes they bloom even before you get them in the soil!
• Plan and plant your fall perennials, trees, shrubs, and bulbs
• Prune your Bigleaf, Oakleaf, and Climbing Hydrangeas
• Back to School — check into your child/grandchild's school gardening program, or volunteer to start one!
• Harvest Party — have a party to share the harvest with friends and family now that the weather's cooling
• Plant cover crops for improved soil health
• Take stock, and plan improvements for next year
• In cooler climates, lift tender bulbs — cannas, callas, and caladiums

This had to be one of the most fun we've had judging a contest in a while! It was such a ball looking through all the weird veggies you grew — it's amazing what strange shapes peppers and tomatoes can take!

We had a hard time narrowing it down, but in the end our winner was Mrs. Devin Clark of Murrieta, California, and her photo "Viking Potato Rubber Ducky!"

All finalists can be seen in this photo album, and even though the contest is over please keep taking pics of your vegetable oddities. You never know what we'll ask you for next!

Are you famous for your homemade Apple Chutney? Spiced Blackberry Jam? Peter's Pickled Peppers? Everyone clamor for Aunt Ruth's Pumpkin Butter at the holidays? Send us your canning recipe (and photos, if you have them) along with canning method, tips, stories, and anything else you'd like to share!

Because we have no way to test all the canning recipes, we will randomly select a single Grand Prize winner from all complete entries received by September 25th, for a $75 Park Seed Gift Certificate! Your submissions will be posted on SuccesswithSeed.com for all to share and learn, and may even be featured in upcoming emails, blog posts, or catalogs. Enter now!

September 7 — Grandma Moses Day — this renowned American folk artist didn't begin painting until she was in her seventies

September 7 — Labor Day — the first American Labor Day was observed on September 2, 1882 in New York City

September 8 — International Literacy Day

September 11 — Patriot Day

September 13 — Grandparent's Day! — Honor your gardening grandparents with a gift certificate from Park Seed!

September 16 — International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

September 19 — Rosh Hashanah (begins at sundown on Sept 18)

September 19 — National POW/MIA Recognition Day

September 19 — Talk Like a Pirate Day — "Arrr matey!"

September 21 — World's Alzheimer's Day

September 21 — International Day of Peace

September 22 — Autumn Equinox — First Day of Fall!

September 27 — Family Health and Fitness Day — Get everyone out to the garden to work!

September 29 — VFW Day — Veterans of Foreign Wars

This time, featuring YOUR photos! From the "My Bell Pepper Looks Just Like Elvis" funny-shaped veggies photo contest, this twisted carrot photo was sent in by Kit Cooley of Sandpoint, Idaho. It made us smile, and thought you might too. We're looking for a fun caption, description, or title.

So... how would YOU caption this photo? Let us know!

This is not a contest... it's just for fun. :)

• Park's cool-season veggie seeds were mentioned in the Daily Herald
• Corn Mirai was featured in The Denver Post
• Verbascum Southern Charm Hybrid was highlighted in the San Francisco Chronicle
  

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