The POOP Garden

If you've never owned a property that relies on a septic system to remove your household waste and grey water, the entire prospect can be quite daunting. Add a well to the property as your water source and you have all sorts of additional considerations. This was certainly the case for me when going through the process of purchasing my current new home and acreage in Oregon.

I've never owned a septic system before, and they can take a lot of care and thought to manage properly. When considering purchasing my current property, I had to get up to speed quickly on exactly how septic systems work from engineering and biological perspectives, all the possible repairs (which we had to do, including an entire upcoming tank replacement project), how to properly care for them, what can and can't go into the system, and very importantly what are the environmental impacts of what the system puts back out into your land. In the context of gardening and growing food, there are also some pretty important considerations you must take into account.

That's my little push mower I'm using to cut down the drain field, which was very overgrown.
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

What Goes Down the Drain?

An interesting thing (and potential benefit) of living with a septic system is how environmentally sensitive it makes you - or should make you. Everything that goes down your drains and toilets goes into the septic tank, and much of that subsequently in liquid form (called effluent) gets either drained (via gravity) or pumped mechanically out to your drain field (also called a leach field). The porous pipes (drain tiles) leach the effluent out into surrounding soil, which should detoxify it to a degree, IF the drain field is functional. Drain fields typically take up a large flat section of your property, so when you're looking at purchasing a rural property, don't be fooled that that big open field near the house is the perfect spot for a fruit orchard. It just might be the septic drain field! While I won't get into all the issues of putting fats or other foods down your drain and how that can be problematic for the tank, I will focus on all the other chemicals and salts you may wash down or flush, and how that can then impact your landscape and potentially ground water.

There are often a lot of limitations of what you can put down your drains on a septic system when it comes to chemicals. Think about it: bacteria are relied upon to break down waste in the septic tank. If you are using anti-bacterial soaps or other products, chlorine bleach, bathroom cleaners, plant fertilizers, chemical shampoos, paints, solvents, microplastics, or any other type of harsh chemical that are harmful to bacteria, then you're essentially going to shut down proper function of your tank.

Not to mention, those chemicals (many of which are not biodegradable) will then be put out into your drain field, and subsequently the rest of your landscape or any gardens planted nearby that would receive drainage from the drain field.

This also means these chemicals could leach into ground water or nearby streams or rivers creating environmental contamination. If you have a well on your property, which you likely do if you're on septic, then you also need to make sure there is proper clearance between the well and drain field and consider that any chemicals you put into your drain field or landscape could potentially contaminate your well water.

ZOIKS!

All of a sudden that cavalier city-dweller attitude about flushing or rinsing anything you want down your home drains needs to get flushed! Because literally everything you put down your drains is going to end up, in some form or another, out in your surrounding soil and potentially water. Suddenly, you start to think very carefully about exactly which cleaning products you're using for your home and body, as well as any other toxic or non-biodegradable products you use to use and wash down the drain with abandon.

Whatever you put down your drains can end up right out in your soils.
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

What About Septic Field Gardening?

So what does this have to do with gardening? Well, just about everything if you're growing any plants or doing any gardening or food production in your landscape that surrounds a septic drain field. Septic effluent tends to be somewhat neutral in pH but often alkaline and can get up above 9 on the pH scale. Salts from water softener will also impact your soils and plant health.

More importantly, there can be bacteria from the effluent in the soils of your drain field that you do NOT want to eat. And by eat I mean plants can not only have bad bacteria splashed onto them from surrounding moisture, but plants can actually take up bacteria - especially human enteric pathogens - from the soils into their tissues. So if you don't want what's coming out of you to make it's way into those apples you're growing near your septic field, maybe skip the apples!

It's just not a good idea to plant edibles on or around your septic drain field due to potential for contamination. Now, I've had septic company employees tell me "nah you can plant your orchard on top of it!". Um...NOPE, no thanks!

Generally for edibles or any plants with larger tougher root systems, you're looking for decent clearance from the drain field and the buried system, and that will also depend on where water tends to move from your drain field through your property. I have an unusual situation where my drain field is actually at the highest elevation on my property and the septic tank sits below it. That means I have a pump that pushes water uphill to my drain field, instead of relying on gravity.

BUT, that also means that a lot of my planting area on that section of the property sits below my drain field, meaning water can move downhill towards my plantings...so I don't want to plant edibles to close to that downhill side, but I'd probably be OK planting 10-20 feet away uphill from the field. It really just depends on how large of root system the plants you want to grow have.

Edible crops, especially root and fruit crops, can absorb pathogens from your septic drain field, making them unsafe to harvest and eat.
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Shallow Root Systems are a Must

You CAN plant on top of your drain field. In fact, it's actually good to have plants growing on the drain field to prevent erosion and to take up the water that flows into the field. Plants will pull the extra water up and out of their tissues through evapotranspiration. Lawn grasses are of course the most common planting solution - as long as you use more shallowly rooted species. But here's the catch - you shouldn't put any extra water on your drain field, so there's no watering high-maintenance lawn grasses in the summer just to keep them looking nice. Conversely, you also need plants that can tolerate wet-feet as there will be additional moisture coming through the area.

All of this can make it tricky to pick the right plants to put over your drain field. Unfortunately, there is a lot of conflicting and incorrect advice out there as to what you should or shouldn't plant. For example AI spit back a list of completely inappropriate species with tough taproots it recommended planting in a septic drain field. So don't trust those regurgitated responses.

Ultimately, keeping plant root systems shallow on top of the drain field is an important consideration. You don't want root systems that get deep and woody, or you can disrupt the function of your drain tiles and clog them up. So that means no plants with big tap roots, very deep roots, woody roots...so no trees or shrubs on top of or too close to the field.

You also need plants that can tolerate moisture fluctuations without any supplemental watering. So this is you won't plant native prairie bluegrass over your drain field. It's a grass and it's drought tolerant, but that's because it has a large deep root system that will definitely get into your buried drain tiles.

Hopefully, your septic drain field tile lines are buried at least 18" deep or maybe even 24" deep. As long as you plant smaller herbaceous plants with shallower fibrous root systems that won't invade the drain lines, then you're OK.

What Flowers Can You Plant on a Septic Drain Field?

Certain wildflowers, such as annual Rudbeckia, Coreopsis, Campanula, baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii), Zinnia, Cosmos, Sweet alyssum, pansies and viola, Anemone and Ranunculus corms, and species tulips may also be good options. If your drain tiles are buried deep enough you can try Echinacea purpurea (but not other species with taproots). You can also try bearded iris, just remember that your drain field might stay too wet for them.

Most of these plants grow well across the country, so weather you're in Texas or Oregon, the recommendations are often similar. Just be sure to avoid species with deep taproots or very deep fibrous root systems that are common in many drought tolerant plants.

What can you Plant NEAR a Septic Drain Field?

Because you really can't plant shrubs or trees on your drain field, how far away should you plant them? Generally speaking you want 20-30 feet of clearance. But that depends on the mature size of what you want to plant.

For example you're planting an evergreen privacy hedge near your drain field, such as Thuja 'Green Giant' or other tree that reaches 50+ feet tall, you can assume the root system will likely extend that same distance. So if you only have about 30 feet of clearance from your drain field to where you want to plant your privacy hedge, make sure to choose a species that typically stays under 30-feet tall at maturity, and has a shallower or finer root system. So maybe you go with with a Holly 'Nellie R. Stephens' or a Thuja 'Emerald Green' instead.

No Heavy Equipment on Your Drain Field

Another important consideration for septic drain field gardening is to keep foot traffic and heavy equipment to a minimum. Heavy tractors, tillers, loading equipment and the like can compress soils and potentially damage your drain tiles. Same goes for building anything on top of the field such as raised beds, decks, or above ground pools.

Hand mowers for maintenance are best to avoid compaction, and you should plan on alternating your mowing patterns. If you need to use a riding or tractor mower, using it a few times in the summer on your field is fine. But if you live somewhere with wet winters, keep the larger equipment off the field during the rainy season.

Oh, and you're not really supposed to leave all the clippings on the field either, especially if you're cutting down tall grass or wildflowers. All that decaying plant matter can inhibit the soils capacity for filtering your septic output.

Maximinze Your Space

I get it -when a big section of your property is a septic drain field, it can be frustrating as a gardener to feel that big sunny space is going to waste! I'm in the same boat. So I'll be following my own advice here and seeding shallow-rooted wildflowers and cut flowers this fall and spring...and treading lightly thereafter!

A Pop of Purple in my Forest

Oregon iris (Iris tenax) growing in a small clearing in my woods
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

I have yet to explore all the nooks and crannies of my new 6-acre forest farm retreat, but as I walked my very first visitors down an old path through my woods, we discovered all sorts of inhabitants, including a few lovely clumps of Oregon iris in bloom. Yes, I squealed! Iris tenax, also commonly called toughleaf iris, is a small yet resilient Oregon native plant that produces stunning purple flowers with white and yellow accents. I found these growing in a small sunnier spot in the woods where there was just enough open canopy to let some sunshine in. This tells me I’ll be able to establish more here, as well as other part sun woodland bloomers.

Oregon iris is a deciduous rhizomatous herbaceous iris that typically grows in forest openings or along roadsides with partial sun. I would imagine here in Oregon full sun is just fine too. The foliage is narrow and appears more like a bunch grass from a distance than it does an iris, so you might miss it if it’s growing amongst other grasses.

Blooms of I. tenax usually send up blooms in late-spring and summer (I spotted my bloomers mid-May here in Oregon City). Plants grow to about 20-inches tall and clumps may reach 24” wide, but are slow growing and spreading.

Oregon iris easily blends in with surrounding grasses
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

You’ll usually grows in forest openings or roadsides, where they get enough sun to bloom. Supposedly, this species isn’t supposed to tolerate drought or clay soils all that well, but I’d say the soil mine are growing in have a decent amount of clay. Plants do best in soils that don’t sit wet (decent drainage), and can tolerate moisture fluctuations.

I have plenty of deer that come through my property but they clearly aren’t touching the iris. Iris in general aren’t a favorite of deer so I’ll definitely be planting more. Another bonus is that Oregon iris does support wildlife such as hummingbirds and attracts beneficial insects.

I have some areas that I’ll also be establishing as more natural meadows for natives and bulbs, so I’m sure I’ll find a way to tuck more Oregon iris into those spots. Perhaps if you come to a Guided Forest Therapy walk at my place in the future, you'll be treated to these beauties!

The Pink Saga Continues in the Garden...

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my recent dramatic lamenting of just how many PINK flowering plants I’ve inherited at my new forest farm property in Oregon. (Login to IG for video reel HERE) I just do not like pink. As a botanist and plant lover I certainly appreciate many pink-flowering plants out in nature. Of course. But as a professional horticulturist and lifelong gardener I do get a bit particular about my color choices for my own gardens. Pink is not one of those color choices. But, apparently, this is NOT a popular stance up here in the Pacific Northwest because almost everything that blooms in spring is PINK! Mostly due to the dominance of spring-blooming Rhododendrons that anchor most gardens here.

SO many bubble gum PINK Rhododendron! And hot pink ones, and magenta ones...
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Get a Grip

I’ve seemingly upset a lot of people with my lack of a penchant for pink. Now, a lot of folks did not get the humor and thought I was actually having a real crying fit and melt down over SO MANY PINK flowers in my garden. I was told I “need to get a grip about plants” in a repost and in DMs, while another commenter stated I must have “taken crying lessons from Erika Kirk”, and then was told by many I just needed to learn to love pink and work with it. Perhaps my next career should be in acting. Don't worry folks, I'm really OK! Just having a little horticultural fun.

Weigelia is pretty, but it's still PINK! OH, and yes, those are ALL pink dogwoods in the backgorund!
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

It's ok to make intentional choices

Rhodies (Rhododendron spp.) are a plant that I grew up with along the East Coast and in Germany. Both premier locations for these bloomers. So I'm certainly not new to much of the plant palette that's common here, or many of the natives to the area. Rhodies certainly are gorgeous plants and there are a number of species native here to the PNW. So I certainly get the loyalty to them!

Let me ask you though…if you really did not like the color red, and you bought a house with all the interior walls painted bright red, would you just force yourself to eventually like red or just work with it? No. Of course not. Color is a deeply personal matter and we all react mentally and emotionally in our own way when surrounded by colors we love or dislike.

There’s an entire industry called landscape and garden design - along with interior design - that is devoted to making specific thoughtful choices about color, aesthetics, and mood in your garden. In addition of course to making the right plant choices for the right places along with many other goals related to sustainability and wildlife.

So many SCREAMING hot pink Azaleas!
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Bruise Gardening

So whilst I may not rip out ALL the pink plants (There are a few Rhododendron that are coming in a darker almost purple-pink that I’ll probably let stay), I have already started my color transition. I was also asked "if no pink what other colors ARE there?". Well, I do blues, purples, whites, oranges, chartreuse, peach, etc. And I usually will let a few yellow intruders stick around. I call it “bruise gardening”!

As I introduce you to more areas around my new Oregon Forest Farm, I will also start showing you some plants I'm excited about that are NOT pink that are starting to bloom. And don't worry, white, lavender, purple, and orange Rhodies and azaleas (and color variations thereof) are MOST welcome in my garden.

Your garden should bring you personal joy, and if pink doesn’t do it for you either, I’m giving you permission to go ahead and not like it! But don’t worry, I never want to waste perfectly good plants, and I’ve already hooked up with at least one new local connection on IG who came and dug up a few of the small pink azaleas. They’ve made him super happy, which makes me super happy.

You do you gardeners!

A Horticulturist Transplants from Dallas to Rural-ish Oregon

One of my lovely sit spots
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

It took a lot of planning, and a lot of waiting, and it was a long time coming.

I have finally made the transition from my urban garden in Dallas, TX, to my rural-ish forest farm in Oregon. I say rural-ish because even though we are "out in the country", and are on 6-acres with rural, farming, and forestry zoning, we're still only 30 minutes from downtown Portland, and pretty much anywhere else we need to get to in the area. We're also very close to two neighboring towns of Canby and Oregon City, so amenities are a mere minutes away. It's the perfect hybrid of having elbow room to grow (and LOTS of trees) but not being too far from civilization.

It's difficult to get good photo that show the entire property, so, we'll take it bit by bit over time.

What's Growing on at the Forest Farm?

I'm still toying with names for my little "forest farm", as I'm calling it, and figuring out where I can do just what. It's not open flat agricultural land, rather a lovely forested gardening retreat (y'all, I have a POOL in Oregon, lol), with a lot of the property on slope, with different pockets of different growing opportunities; be it establishing woodland natives and bulbs (YES please!), fern gardens (DUH), MOSS gardens (Absolutely), too fruit trees and berry bushes, to edible gardens, and of course plenty of spaces to flesh out more ornamental spaces, natives, cool conifers, and fun plant collections (yes, the miniature Iris collection has already begun). Of course my "ornamental" gardens are always mixed with edibles and herbs.

Essentially, I'll be master planning this property as my own little 6-acre botanical garden and habitat.

There are areas I'm considering to set back up my beehives (the small produce farmer across the road will be happy about that!), as well as a place to reestablish my chicken flock...I'm thinking we may be a full-time Silkies only operation moving forward! (Tiny pants, tiny chihuahuas, tiny chickens...you get my jam!)

The POOP Garden

Yes, that's my little battery powered push mower I'm using to mow down 2-3ft tall grass and assorted vegetation across the property, including this area which houses my septic drain field - AKA "The POOP Garden". Yes, I'm that nuts but my guns will be amazing!
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

OH..and being out here in the country we are on a well and septic system. So I also have a large septic drain field to manage, which I've dubbed "the poop garden", so I'll also be talking about how to maintain that, and what you can or can't plant on top of it or near it.

I also have a large shop where I'll be setting up my art studio and a couple more rooms for horticultural activities. So keep your eyes peeled for some new artsy activity from the forest farm.

Home Greenhouse Revival

Perfect spot for my future greenhouse!
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

And of course I wouldn't have bought a property like this unless it had at least one perfect spot for a GREENHOUSE! And here it is folks, my perfect spot for a good sized home greenhouse. It doesn't exist yet, and I haven't decided exactly which type I'm going to put in, but if any of you greenhouse companies in the Oregon City or surrounding area want to talk about a project, drop me a line! I was hoping to have a new greenhouse built by the time my new book Home Greenhouse Revival comes out on September 1st (you can learn more and pre-order at the link), but that may or may not happen. In any case, you'll be along for the journey.

Guided Forest Therapy

A part of trails I'll be re-establishing for forest walks on property
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

As a newly minted Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide (you'll see my walks posted under the name Folia Forest Therapy) I'm also excited about creating opportunities for guided forest therapy walks here at my forest farm. I have lovely forested areas to enjoy, and some existing trails that need some work to clear a better path. I can't wait to start establishing more natives and wildflowers down in the forest to enjoy on our walks. As soon as I can start hosting here, I'll let you know. In the meantime I'll keep you posted on walks I do out at other locations.

There will be so much more to come and I can't wait to start sharing more of my botanical and gardening adventures here at the "farm".

It's mid-April and it's prime tulip bloom season here in Oregon. We had a week or more of warm sunny weather, so this pushed blooms on a bit earlier and may make them finish up a little sooner than they normally would; nonetheless tulips have been putting on quite a show.

I hit Woodburn, Oregon this last weekend to visit the Wooden Shoe Farm Tulip Festival. As I will be living out in a rural area of Oregon not far from this farm, it was a lovely drive down in to the Willamette Valley area, which is dominated by plant growing nurseries. So I was happy to get an introduction to all of these businesses along the way.

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, Woodburn, Oregon
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Now, having grown up overseas I've had the privilege of visiting the massive tulip fields in Holland, which are quite the thing. While this planting isn't quite to scale with Dutch plantings, it's quite lovely and impressive and worth a visit. While we ended up with a cold raining morning for our visit, the grey skies allowed the flower colors to pop for pictures. (It can often be tough to get good flower photos when conditions are sunny).

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm Fields, Woodburn, Oregon
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

It took me a minute to figure exactly what this tulip farm offers, and as it turns out most of their business is in offering cut tulips and selling cut and potted tulips at the farm. The spring tulip festival and events such as weddings seem to be the main focus of the operation.

Tulip Types

Most of the cultivars they have growing on display are industry standards. I've used most of them in my years of work designing massive tulip displays for the Dallas Arboretum, plant trials, and of course choosing the best selections for the clients I had in Texas. Most of the cultivars growing at Wood Shoe Tulip farm work equally well planted in more southern hot climates. Single lates, Darwin Hybrids, and lily-flowering amongst the strongest types. The earlies, dwarfs, mid-season, and peony flowering look to perform better here in cooler weather than in the south as they are a bit more temperature sensitive.

A few of my very favorite sing lates were in good form, 'Maureen' (white), 'Dordogne'(orange/pink/peach multi-colored), and 'Negrita' (Dark purple)

Tulip 'Maureen', Single late white
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Tulip 'Dordogne', Single late
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Tulip 'Negrita', Single late
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

I was, however, happy and surprised to find amongst all the old favorites a couple of cultivars I'm not familiar with. They just happened to be in my favorite flower colors, both orange and green! 'Orange Marmalade' and 'Green Power'. Tulips with green flower petals, or partially green, typically fall into the viridiflora tulip category. Definitely adding these to my new garden...

Tulip 'Orange Marmalade'
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Tulip 'Green Power'
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

I don't have room here to post all the fabulous photos of my favorite cultivars, but I'll leave you with two more that I love, the weeping and perfectly named 'Purple Rain' and 'Charming Beauty'. I've a penchant for double peachy anything so if they'd actually had any 'Charming Beauty' for sale, I'd have bought them up!

Tulip 'Purple Rain'
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Tulip 'Charming Beauty'
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Lift & Store the Tulip Bulbs

To keep bulbs from splitting to multiply (tulips bulbs will split, producing baby bulbs, also called offsets) - which results in crowding over time and several years of delay for the tiny new bulbs to start blooming -the farm lifts the bulbs after blooming season to store them, then replants them in the fall. That way they get nice big single bloom stems per bulb each spring. So yes, if you're growing tulips for cut flowers, this is common practice for field grow bulbs.

I hope you're enjoying your spring wherever you are and have enjoyed a glimpse of tulip season up here in Oregon!

Ephemeral Blooming Beauties

Spring is springing here in the Portland area of Oregon, and we've had so many sunny gorgeous days, I've been trying to get out and hit some of the plentiful city parks and trails. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Trillium grandiflorum in full spring blooming glory today out in the Tyron Creek State Natural Area.

Trillium grandiflorum in Tyron Creek State Natural Area, Portland
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Elegant with a stately presence, these woodland plants are spring ephemerals, producing large flowers that include three petals, three bracts, and three sepals. Plants thrive in wooded areas with shade and dappled sun, as well as moist soil conditions. They appreciate a bit more of the less intense spring sunshine, so you'll often find they thrive better in forests with deciduous trees.

Plants are slow growing and usually take about ten years to start blooming...but are certainly worth the wait! Blooms usually emerge about March through June.

Ecosystem Boosters

Blooming in early spring, Trillium flowers provide an important early season food source for many insects. Ants often spread their seed, and deer much on the plants (so, if you have a lot of deer, be prepared for the Trillium to be a target!

Oh, but YOU shouldn't consume these plants, as the plant parts and the berries are poisonous. Some species of Trillium are also protected so resist the urge to harvest or dig up these plants.

Trillium grandiflorum specimen
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

I hope you are also getting out of the house to spend some times outdoors and get a chance to encounter spring ephemerals in your area. Nature (and your garden) is such an antidote to the stresses of the work, which are most certainly plentiful right now...

PC: Leslie F. Halleck

It's Cherry Blossom Season in the Pacific Northwest

Take a deep breath, sink into the cherry blossoms, and relaaaxxxxx

Cherry tree in peak bloom in the Portland Japanese Garden
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Cherry blossoms (sakura) abound in the Portland, Oregon area, as well as much of the Pacific Northwest. I was lucky enough to relocate here from Texas in early March, just in time to catch the initial emergence of spring blooms.

I've been keeping watch on the cherry trees around town trying to time the perfect moment to head over to the Portland Japanese Garden to catch the cherry trees in bloom. The garden does a pretty good job of posting cherry blossom reports on their social feeds, and a "cherry tracker" on their website, so you can also get updates on the best time to visit. We ended up with the most gloriously beautiful spring day this past Saturday to hit the garden, and it did not disappoint. Blue skies, sunshine and cherry tree exploding with blooms...they look like fluffy cotton candy!

Stunning cherry tree specimen in the Sand and Stone Garden at the Portland Japanese Garden
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

The Zen Sand and Stone Garden, also referred to as karesansui gardens (or dry landscape) is a beloved feature in the Japanese Garden. There is one stunning specimen of highly tended cherry tree, which I believe is a Higan or weeping Fuji cherry (Prunus itosakura x P. incisa), or Shidarezakura, that is the star of the show in early spring. Now, This specimen is about 100 years old and is definitely a prize occupant of the garden. I feel privileged to have witnessed it's emergence this year. Truly lovely.

Yoshino Cherries in bloom at the Portland Japanese Garden
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Yoshino cherries (Prunus x yedoensis) punctuate the rest of the garden with their dark branches and fluffy light pink blooms. When you look up at the sky in the garden it's like there are big billowy pink clouds of flowers everywhere.

PC: Leslie F. Halleck

PC: Leslie F. Halleck

There are also a number of beautiful Camellia specimens in bloom in the garden, as well as many striking specimens of Japanese maples that will soon be leafing out. I'll definitely be making a trip back over to take in the fresh young leaves. It was a soothing and peaceful visit (even though there were a lot of other visitors that day) and it was so enjoyable to breath the fresh air and all take in the visual beauty of nature.

If you need to find a little peace right now, get outside and visit some nature!

Time to Seed Your Salad Greens

This is my salad greens (spinach) breakfast pile!
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Grow Your own VEG

Here in southern warm climates, it's time to start your fall veggie garden, which should include lots of salad greens! Mid-September, depending in temperatures is usually a good time to start direct seeding Brassicas, root crops, and leafy green such as lettuces, kale, collards, Swiss chard and spinach, to name a few.

This year (2025) as is often the case we're in the third week of September and it's still pretty warm. It looks like night temperatures will finally drop just below 70F later in the week, which is your signal (as long as day temps start to drop below 90F) that you're good to start seeding your first succession of cool season crops.

So that's my plan for this coming weekend (Sept. 27th) - I'll be direct seeding a ton of salad greens outdoors as well as other crops (gotta have my turnips and greens too) along with cool season perennial rye grass in areas I need to mitigate soil erosion, AND a new round of wildflower seeds for my wildscape easement.

Tip: Spinach likes it a little cooler, so you may wait until temperatures drop a bit more to seed it, however arugula is much more heat tolerate and I usually start seeding it at the beginning of September (seeds that dropped from the previous winter/spring crop usually start sprouting on their own end of August-early September so I already have a small patch going).

In my hot climate, I can grow the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in my outside vegetable garden through summer- but it's way too lot for the cool season greens. So to have those fresh through summer, they have to be grown in the indoor garden, or purchased. Conversely, I can grow ALL the greens I need in my outdoor garden from about October-May in my Texas climate.

That's NINE months of homegrown greens. During these cool months, the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers need to be grown indoors under grow lights.

My pile of veggies hids a coupe of eggs, cheese, and wheat toast.
PC: Leslie F. Halleck

Green up Your Breakfast

Why do I have to grow a lot of salad greens? Well folks, as you can see in the photos, I start out my days with a PILE of salad greens! Plus other veg/fruits such as cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers.

Salad for breakfast? You bet. I personally deal with PCOS, thyroid challenges, AND menopause (whew) and all of this requires I manage a healthy diet that balances plenty of fiber-rich healthy carbs with the right amounts of fat and protein. Overall, I manage a diet that's on the lower-carb side, but I eat lots of veggies and certain fruits. Bread can certainly be a part of that, either whole wheat, mixed grains, or my homemade sourdough; I just load those carbs earlier in the day (combined with fat/protein) and at lunch, with a focus on less carb/more protein in the evening, but I can pretty much have as much salad greens and veg any meal of the day. Macros are usually 65-100g Carb/90-100g protein/90g fat. Anyway, it just means I need a regular supply of plenty of greens and I gotta grow 'em!

Stretch Your Food Budget

With food and grocery prices continually on the rise right now (seriously my grocery bill is getting painful), there's no reason you can't reduce some of those costs by growing some produce. It's not always less expensive to grow things like tomatoes (especially if you're a new gardener and you have a lot of costs associated with getting set up, materials, soils, etc.) BUT, lettuces is practically the easiest food you can grow. If you grow it in the right season, it takes minimal care, water, or fertilizer. And, you can grow it cut-and-come-again style, meaning you don't pull up the whole lettuce plant when you harvest - you simply cut the leaves you need from it and the plant continues to grow. So relatively speaking, for the price of a couple of seed packs, you can stay in fresh greens for many months for much less than buying from the grocery store. Not to mention, probably incur much less waste.

Year-Round Vegetable Seeding and Planting Calendar

If you want to learn more about when to seed and transplant just about anything for your year-round vegetable garden (indoors and out), check out my year-round planting calendar. There's a link to my free PDF calendar download at the bottom!

Pro-Grower Tip for Lettuce

Know that seeds of lettuce species typically require light for successful germination (specifically exposure to red light). That means you don't want to bury the seeds and cover them with soil. Simply sprinkle them on the soil surface, either in your garden or pots for indoor growing and keep the surface moist.

For all you need to know about starting seeds outdoors or inside, or growing any of your veggie crops indoors, check out my books:

Plant Parenting
Gardening Under Lights
AND my Fall Book Bundle Special