I would add compost as soon as you take out everything else and then if you can again in the spring, IF not then in the spring so the plants can use the good stuff in the compost.
My garden is just getting started because we put it in late.
So, we are deweeding, but added hay in between the rows today to keep weeds down. We add compost to the plants as they grow for moisture retention and to help keep weeds back from the plants.
Planting seeds and transplanting when they are ready to be moved, deweeding the flower beds as needed and whatever else comes along.
Plus seperating and dividing other stuff...gosh that makes me tired just talking about it...lol.

:) Fran

We have had hardly any rain for about six weeks, so Mother Nature is closing down the growing season for me. I am tossing in the gloves and going on vacation for three weeks. Whatever is left to clean up in Sept. will await my return. Seriously, this season has been harder than last year. Two years in a row with no rain is taking a toll on the plants, and on me!

Seriously.. the drought is really taking its toll here too. I have been watering, but we're about to go on watering restriction any time so all of this may be for nothing. I'm planting things that I think I can keep watered, maintaining the rest in pots for fall planting. Other than that I'm summer sowing some seeds, transplanting seedlings into pots or in the ground if I feel that I can keep them moist so they can get established. Only the beds with the best soil are getting new plants right now. I'm waiting for a batch of compost to finish up so I can amend the soil in some other beds so that I can do fall planting in them.

Right now it's pretty much a holding pattern for many things. Hoping they can make it through until the weather cools so that they'll have a chance next year. I'm really concentrating now on improving my soil so that the plants will fare better and be a bit less stressed. Although, with no rain, they have no choice but to be stressed.

I'm saving up for more mulch, since the shredder I bought is a piece of junk and I can't get it to work. I thought I'd be able to make a bit of my own mulch to save money but you see how that worked out. I guess it's buyer beware for all things ebay.

We have been throwing away alot of annuals at work so I have been planting them for fall color. Lots of sun coleus, pletranthus, alternatera as well as other other things I have had luck with late summer in the past. We have not had alot of rain but have had enough and the rain barrels have really paid off. I have six and even with the little bits of rain they fill up. The guy in Sanford that refurbishes the pickle barrels has some "water totes" that hold about 300 gallons that he is selling for 75 dollars. We will be hooking that up to the barrels once we get a chance to get it home from work. It was gorgeous here today. I could feel fall in the air. Adele

I have been trying to do as little as possible but a project or two catches my eye occasionally. Yesterday we took down a bit of chain-link fence in the front that looked really out of place. I've been meaning to do that since we moved in. YAY, it's done!

Outside of that we are mainly just trying to keep up the watering, collecting seeds, and getting ready for the swaps. Although I have been spending a fair amount of time in my mind's eye rearranging the yard hah!

I think I'll be happy to see fall for a change. I have worked harder in the yard this year than I ever have. I need to settle in for a long winter's nap!

We are still watering the vegetable garden everyother day, and the landscape plants once a week (except when mother nature intervenes) We have had some rain this year not a lot, but some.

I am currently modifying my beds, getting rid of things that didn't make it, making note of things that did really well and trying to figure out what to do in the problem areas, HOT DRY SUNNY and HOT DRY SHADY.

I am really enjoying the cooler mornings and the night time cool down that really helps the plants to cope with the dry heat. I can't wait for fall when I can really spend some quality time in the garden!

We've had adequate rainfall. I didn't hand water the garden (other than new plants) until this week.

Things are going strong:
2nd blooms on coneflowers
agastache
ageratum (perennial)
2nd blooms on monarda
2nd blooms on buddleia (long story)
rudbeckia are in full bloom (have to keep bunnies away)
crape myrtles are wrapping up
2nd bloom on verbascum
hypericum x hidcote are cranking up
perennial heliotrope hasn't stopped
tall garden phlox is still blooming
2nd bloom on Broadway Lights
multiple blooms on Happy Returns and Stella daylilies
Knock Out roses overcame JB damage and blooming like crazy
salvia black & blue; greggiis; ulignosa are still going
strong
snapdragons are trying again
angelonias are still blooming great
4 o'clocks still blooming
tithonia blooming
cestrum 'orange peel' is blooming
tall verbena is still blooming

The garden isn't requiring much maintenance right now. Weeds are under control. Deadheading done for now. I'm looking at seed and bulb catalogs for fall planting.

The hummingbird population has exploded! We need air traffic control around here! LOL

The goldfinch are hanging out in the rudbeckia to eat the seeds.

The deer don't even run away when we go outside. They just stand and stare! They don't even bother to get up when we take our greyhound out at night. Charm has to weave between the deer to do her business. That said, they're not doing any real garden damage. They deadheaded some geranium 'Rozanne' and that's about it. I think we're getting along quite well.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: coneflowers

Cameron, I wish I had your rain management system and adequate rainfall. Things are dry as a bone here.. we're praying for rain every day.

I love your blog and all the pictures of your garden.

Our area has wavered between the extreme and severe drought status all summer. We have gotten some rainfall, when we do, the weeds grow and so I pull them out and use them as mulch. Not pretty but cheap and effective.

Haven't watered in the garden except once or twice using our numerous rain barrels and in my potted up area where I keep pots of plants in the shade - I hope we get some fall rains so I can plant out in my beds. Rarely use the hose although we are on a deep well to conserve.

Drought resistant and native plants doing ok and even the plants that require more water are doing ok as long as they are in the heavier clay soil and mulched.

Started some seeds for autumn sowing in the shade. Propagating some plants for the High Pt. fall swap. Potting up winter sown seedlings into bigger pots.

Stopped weeding in the veggie garden in hopes of convincing the deer I have no cowpeas as they've eaten them all down and am letting the squash run all over the garden as I've heard they hate stepping on the vines. Fish wire around the garden fence is my next attempt to keep the deer out. We've got so much woods around you think it would be enough for the deer but apparently cowpeas are gourmet food for them.

That's what happened to my cowpeas!

*slinks off to do that thing she doesn't want to do*

We're getting a nice gentle rain this morning. I went out and fertilized a few annuals, the colocasia and the brugmansia.

Wishing everyone sufficient rain.

I didn't realize the drought was still so bad in other areas of the Carolinas. That's really terrible! While we don't want any tropical storm damage, we need one to sit off the coast to generate some rain.

I had a beautiful gentle rain today that totaled about 2 inches!! I can hear the plants breathing a sigh of relief here! I've got a little more rain than most this year, seems as if I'm on the edge of the path it all seems to take across southern SC and up the coast. So my plants seem to be doing pretty well this year with minimal watering. But my veggie garden on the other hand is not doing crap. I know what the problem was, I didn't have the time to properly amend the soil before planting. I ran out of time, the tiller was in the shop so I just planted and said heck with it, they will grow or be tilled under for next year. Right now I'm thinking about soil conditioning for next year, new beds to cut in, and what bulbs I want to get out this fall. I also love my fall mums and pansies. They make the yard look so much better in the dead of winter. And if I get them in late Sept, early Oct, then I'll have beautiful color all winter! :-) Fall feel is defiantly in the air this week, and honestly I'm looking forward to days that will be a little cooler soon!

It is so frustrating to see a storm head our way and then break apart.
All the rain is hitting Charlotte/Columbia and South east to the coast.
Western SC and NC do not see much rain at all. It must be the mountain ridge.
I am happy some of us are getting rain though. :)

We are not getting rain eitther...we did see a little last night and this morning...
Our county just went on mandatory water restrictions as of TODAY!!! I knew it was coming, I just hoped it wouldn't.
I will be lucky if my plants can hang on now.
We have cantaloupes coming on...I hope we don't lose them...

:( Fran

Gardengirl, look into your restrictions... some counties allow drip irrigation, and this includes soaker hoses.

You could also buy or make some rain barrels.

If I haven't been busy watering I've been harvesting and putting up for winter. This year most of what I grow is just getting frozen, I haven't had time to can or even blanch things befor freezing, just pick, wipe, plop into a freezer bag and seal. I'll dig things out of the freezer in a month or so and make something out of it.

A little bit of rain this week but not enough - maybe a tenth of an inch. Plenty of things are dying no matter how much I water them. If you dig down an inch or so the soil is bone dry. I'm loosing more this year than last year.

I'm also cleaning out the massive plant collection. I kinda went over board on the propagating so I'm tossing all the culls and keeping only a dozen of each of my favorites.

I started a bunch of new seeds and things are growing so I will have new plants this fall to fuss over.

Wow oh wow, can u believe we got rain Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, yesterday, and now it looks as if it might just storm again? I can't blieve it...I need rain barrels and lots of them!!!

YAHHHH,,, rain!

:) Fran

Other gardening-related things I've been doing...

I found myself looking up the same things on the web all the time and I had put these on my browser. Then, it HIT ME! DUH! Why don't I put all these gardening-related resources on my blog to share with everyone!

It may be TOO MUCH INFORMATION! LOL However, I've put up gardening news where you can see gardening, container gardening, perennials, etc....by clicking on the topic and seeing the news.

I took my subscription feeds from magazines and put those on my blog...Bird&Bloom,FineGardening,CanadianGardening (I like their articles).

I put gardening videos from YouTube on there, too. Lots of interesting stuff.

Maybe all that stuff will be useful to other gardeners, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: my gardening blog revised

Here in Upstate SC the drought has gotten extremely bad. Many counties have water restrictions now, mine's probably next. We got a gentle rain a few days ago but it was less than .5 inch. I certainly don't want anyone to have to endure hurricane damage, but they say we're going to need at least 3 positioned just right in order to get our water levels back up to "normal".

Something about where I am.. the rain always goes around us.

We got LOTS of rain yesterday! Hope everyone else got enough rain for your gardens.

There's a tropical storm possibility next Thursday, I think.

This is interesting...I have lost MORE plants to rain than I did to the drought! My tithonia are pitifully grey as are a few of my older lavenders. So, when planting drought-tolerant plants, there is a problem there, too. Can't win!

Cam, I think I would rather lose drought-tolerant plants then the others...cause that means we are getting rains again...

I want more rain...lots more....I can't stand knowing we are in drought conditions again this year....I hope we get a break next year...and some (not a lot but "SOME") snow this winter.

:) Fran

Gnomey,

It reminds me of the ice/snow patterns we get. In the winter if a snow storm comes in from Tenn/NC, we usually do not see that storm but if a snow storm comes up from Atlanta Ga we usually get hit with it. The mountain range has a lot to do with it.

I will watch huge south east rain storms and think great, we will get rain just to have it break apart and disappear over us and reconnect and hit everything east of us.

lsst - The same is true for us. For instance, it will never snow here unless it is coming from Atlanta. For winter advisories, we always watch what is happening at ATL. Breaking it down even further than that though, I'm in Pendleton, which is in Anderson County. The city of Anderson and other surrounding towns usually get more rain than we do for some reason. Pendleton is like a dry pocket, as if the clouds just avoid us. My mom is a town over in the other direction and she usually also gets a bit more rain than I do. None of us are getting a whole lot though.

It is extremely frustrating to have all the thunder and lightening and think that we're going to get good rain, only to find out that Anderson got it all and we got nothing. That happens so often that I've had the soaker hoses running even when it's been thundering and dark clouds overhead.. I don't use that as a definite sign of rain anymore. It fakes us out all too often.

Cameron: The only upside really are the really and truly drought tolerant plants. The lavender is really loving the drought.

I picked up a batch of bulbs for the fall planting this weekend. They are comfortably snoozing in my crisper on my dorm fridge in my weight room. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed for everyone to get a really good soaking this week from the tropical storm!