September 13, 2025 Weekly Gardening Guide

Episode Transcript

Welcome back to The Keep Growing Podcast, your weekly guide to gardening here in the Mid-Ohio Valley. I'm your host, John Morgan, and this is Week 38, covering September 13th through the 19th. Fall is creeping in, folks, but nature's still cranking up the heat. Let's dive right in with the weather forecast, then we'll hit our lunar tips, gardening tasks for the week, and a special alert on something impacting our local wildlife.

First up, the weather. An upper ridge is building strong over the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, kicking off a warming trend that'll have us sweating through the weekend and into next week. Expect afternoon highs in the upper 80s across the Ohio Valley and southern coalfields on Sunday and Monday—some spots might even flirt with 90 degrees. That's about 10 degrees above normal for mid-September, so stay hydrated out there. The ridge hangs on through Tuesday, keeping things hot and dry with similar highs in the upper 80s to near 90 in the lowlands. By mid-week, though, things get a bit uncertain. Models are hinting at a low-pressure system developing off the southeast coast, potentially retrograding westward under the ridge. This could bring our first shot at rain in over a week, but track and intensity are still up in the air. Keep an eye on updates, and if you're planning outdoor work, aim for those cooler mornings.

Now, let's talk lunar cycles. We've got the Last Quarter Moon on Sunday, September 14th. This phase signals a Barren Time in the lunar gardening calendar—perfect for non-planting tasks like turning your compost pile and working the soil. Use this time to aerate beds, add amendments, or just give your garden a good tidy-up without worrying about new growth. It's all about preparation for the seasons ahead.

Onto our main gardening to-dos for the week. With these warm, dry conditions, we're focusing on transitions to cooler weather crops and keeping things hydrated.

Start with transplanting winter sprouting broccoli. If you've got seedlings ready, now's the time to move them into the garden. Choose a spot with full sun and well-drained soil—broccoli loves that. Space them about 18 to 24 inches apart, and mulch around the base to retain moisture, especially with this heat wave. Varieties, like Purple Sprouting or Rudolph, will overwinter and give you those tasty florets come early spring. Just protect them from any surprise frosts later on with row covers.

Next, repot your houseplants. As days shorten, many indoor greens are slowing down, but if they're root-bound or the soil's compacted, give them a refresh. Gently remove from the pot, trim any dead roots, and upsize to a container with fresh potting mix. This prevents issues like yellowing leaves or stunted growth over winter.

Don't forget to seed fall spinach. This cool-season green thrives in the milder temps we're heading toward. Sow directly in the garden in rows about 12 inches apart—varieties like Bloomsdale or Space are hardy choices. Keep the soil moist for germination, and thin seedlings to 4-6 inches once they sprout. You'll be harvesting baby leaves in just a few weeks for those fresh salads.

Finally, water young trees and shrubs during these dry periods. Established plants can handle it, but anything under two years old needs deep, infrequent soaks to build strong roots. Aim for the drip line, not the trunk, and do it early in the day to minimize evaporation. This'll help them tough out the winter.

Shifting gears to a wildlife alert that's hitting close to home: We're in the midst of an unprecedented epizootic hemorrhagic disease—or EHD—outbreak affecting white-tailed deer in Ohio and West Virginia. Confirmed cases are popping up in counties like Athens, Washington, Morrow, Fairfield, Guernsey, and Meigs in Ohio, with high mortality in Athens and Washington. Over in West Virginia, dead deer started showing up four or five weeks ago in Wood, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, and other mid-Ohio Valley counties. This virus is spread by biting midges, those tiny no-see-ums, and while outbreaks usually tie to drought, this one's happening despite our decent rainfall earlier this year.

Symptoms include fever, swelling, and internal bleeding—deer often seek water and die near streams. The good news? EHD isn't transmissible to humans or pets. What stops it? A hard frost that kills off the midges, plus natural genetic resistance in some deer. There’s no vaccines or treatments for wild populations, but you can help by reporting sick or dead deer to your state’s Department of Natural Resources. That data tracks the spread. If you're a hunter or maintain deer feed plots, scout now for issues—keeping deer well-nourished boosts survival rates. Consider improving water quality in ponds or wetlands to disrupt midge breeding sites. Let's all do our part to support our local herds through this.

That's a wrap for Week 38, growers. Remember, gardening's about patience and adaptation—embrace the heat while it lasts, and prep for the cool-down. If you've got questions or stories from your garden, hit us up on social or our website. Until next time, keep growing!