I love the garden in September. Not only are apple and plum trees bursting with fruit but those seasonal vegetables planted earlier in the summer, such as pumpkins and squashes, are starting to appear. It’s also a rather satisfying time in terms of clearing back plants ready for Autumn. If you’re unsure what to do in the garden, here are some key gardening jobs for September.
Veg patch
Some of the vegetables might be going over now, so pull up any plants that have died or bolted and pop them in your compost bin. Remove any weeds and turn the soil over. You can then plant some winter salad leaves or get in another row of radish if it’s a particularly warm month. Vegetables that should be producing this month include courgettes, tomatoes, sweetcorn, onions, and cucumbers to name just a few, so keep harvesting throughout the month.
Fruit trees
Apples, pears and plum trees will be bursting with fruit this month, so now is the time to start picking. Apple trees may need to be left a little longer if the fruit is small. Alternatively, pick the large apples and leave the smaller ones to grow. The apples on the outside of the tree will ripen first and once they have been picked, they stop ripening. To pick, simply twist the fruit gently of the tree and then have the pleasure of eating them fresh or choosing lovely recipes to use them in.
Flowers
To prolong flowering, keep deadheading and pruning flowers throughout the month. Herbaceous perennials can be divided when the weather cools and new perennials and hardy annuals can be planted. If you’ve got spring flowering bulbs, such as daffodils and primroses, then you can plant them now. If you have a greenhouse, you can start sowing sweet peas, cornflower and any wild flowers ready for planting outside in March and April.
Odd jobs
September is the best month to attend to the lawn. Rake the grass to remove moss or dead grass and tackle any weeds. If you need to sow a new lawn from seed or turf, do it this month because autumn is the best time for a lawn to establish itself. Keep hanging baskets and containers blooming with flowers throughout the month by continuing to water, deadhead and feed. Clear any weeds from the garden and the pond and if you haven’t already got a water butt, September is the best month to put one in place to collect all that autumn and winter rain.
