A few days and Fall Equinox arrives on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 02:50 A.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. After a more or less normal hot dry summer I’m looking forward to cooler day’s and our Fall rains.
For us Fall weather arrived on the 9th of September with temperatures cooling 30-35F from the past weeks 100F+ degree days. The cooled air brought in a nice much needed 1 1/2 inches of rain.
Taking a chance I dry planted my Fall crop of Radishes, Cabbage and Turnips. Cabbage and Turnips can both stand a lot of cold temperatures so I’m hopeful for a nice late Fall, early Winter crop. My dry planting worked out well, we got a nice soaking rain only 5 days after planting.
Cooler weather has reduced the Grasshopper horde as well as all of those other garden loving insects to a manageable level.
If you are unfamiliar with the term Dry Planting it’s the process where you wait until the soil is very dry. If the soil has any moisture the seed will germinate then die from lack of water. Grin, Dry Plant and then hope for a slow soaking rain to germinate your seed and get your crop off to a good start developing a good root system before soil starts to dry again.
Cooling weather has sent many Dove and Hummingbirds south for the winter. The last of my welfare birds usually migrate south by the end of September or first week of October. I’ve been stocking up on hen scratch and black sunflower seed when I find it at reduced prices to supplement feed the Dove, Cardinals, Quail and Mocking birds that over winter in this area.
Monarch butterfly migration is under way. I’m seeing more and more every day. Got to enjoy them while I can, they will soon be gone until next springs migration north.
Happy Autumn Gardening
Town & Country Gardening 
I didn’t know that about dry planting. Very interesting. I guess when you plant on a big scale, and small time watering is not enough to do the trick, you have to hope that the weather gods are kind. Speaking of kind, I’m happy to hear that you’ve been planning ahead with the extra feed for the overwintering birds. I try to do the same here on a much smaller scale. Like you, I’m enjoying the cooler weather, now that the heat waves are done. But I think I’ll be piping a different tune about cooler weather in a few months.
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I must have been a farmer in my previous life. It’s always, to hot, to cold, to wet or to dry.
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And there’s always “next year.”
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