Last Sunday morning Carrie and I cleaned up our veggie garden, ripping out everything that was past its prime, from bolting lettuce to determinate tomatoes. Within a couple of hours we were both overwhelmed by the heat and humidity. After all, we’re past our prime too.

But as we worked there was excitement and anticipation in the air, because we both knew that in those barren beds we would soon be planting our fall garden.

That’s right, because despite temps hovering around the century mark, the time for planting fall vegetables -- and trees and shrubs and perennials -- is just around the corner. But don’t get in too big of a hurry.

Generally speaking, now is not the time to plant large trees and shrubs. It’s not that you can’t plant now, but the odds of a large tree or shrub surviving the stresses of summer heat and a lack of rainfall greatly reduce the odds of their survival.

So when can you plant? Well, here’s a good rule of thumb: Plant in months that have an R (or, alternatively, when temps are consistently below 80 degrees.) There are exceptions, including Crape Myrtles, Tupelos, even Honey Locust. But for everything else, both deciduous and evergreen, it’s best to wait. And SeptemberR is just around the corner. 

You can certainly plant sun-loving perennials and ornamental grasses this time of year, but plan on deep soaking them as often as every two or three days for a few weeks, especially if your soil drains well. Most perennials for shade would prefer to be planted after the heat subsides, especially Astilbe, Bleeding Hearts, and Columbine.

You can continue to plant beans and cucumbers from seed into early September, and you still have time to get in a late crop of okra if you hurry. The same is true of summer squashes. And doing so may mean fewer problems with pests such as bean and cucumber beetles as well as squash bugs. You can also plant potatoes for a fall harvest, and while the yield will be smaller than those planted in spring, the quality is typically excellent.

But for all the cool-season stuff -- lettuce, spinach, and other salad greens, beets, carrots, collards, kohlrabi, onions, peas, radishes, and turnips, wait until mid to late August to sow seeds. The same timetable applies to transplants of broccoli, Brussel sprout, cabbage, and cauliflower.