Well, for cryin' out loud! It is already Oct. 1, the beginning of the final quarter of the year. Where did September go? Where in the samhill did 2025 go? Mama and Daddy always warned me when I was a little'un that when I wanted the clock or calendar to hurry up, it would someday. Most assuredly, it has. I celebrated my fourth 18th birthday in July.

Well, the weather here in south central Missouri is pleasant this morning. The Ozarks Almanac Weather Station shows 63.3 degrees outside with humidy of 84 percent and a barometric pressure of 28.97 inches of mercury.

I'm looking forward to receiving my October issue of The Garden Spade, a digital publication from the University of Missouri up north in Columbia. They email it monthly, and it is full of information, much of which I already know, being an elderly man who celebrated his fourth 18th birthday this past July.

The Garden Spade for September listed several tips for September.

The most important tip for my place is this: "Amend the soil before planting, according to a soil test." My soil needs to be retested, I think, and I need to take steps to improve it. How about you and your dirt?

"Autumn is a good time to incorporate manure, compost or leaf mold into garden soils to increase organic matter content. If you use manure, know your source. Ask questions about herbicide contamination" is some more good advice from The Garden Spade.

More advice is to wait until late this month to plant spring flowering bulbs, or even early November. Let it cool off some more before planting those beauties.

There's more, and there will be even more when the October issue of  The Garden Spade comes out. I suggest you go here and find out more about how to get it sent to you directly.

Have a good and productive day.