Gardening Tips for September

 

September is a month of change in the garden, with cooler nights, shorter days and the first signs of autumn. It is an excellent time to harvest crops, prepare beds for the months ahead and make a start on next year’s displays. Harvest apples, pears, plums, beans, courgettes, tomatoes and sweetcorn as they ripen; pick regularly to encourage plants to keep producing.

Lift onions and potatoes once their foliage has died back, then dry them somewhere airy before storing. Remove faded summer bedding and spent vegetable plants, but add healthy material to the compost heap rather than throwing it away. Sow hardy salad leaves, such as winter lettuce, rocket and spinach, in a sheltered spot or greenhouse for later crops, and plant spring-flowering bulbs including daffodils, crocuses and alliums.

September is also one of the best times to repair or sow a lawn, as warm soil and autumn moisture help grass seed establish quickly. Divide overcrowded herbaceous perennials, take cuttings from tender plants you wish to overwinter, and bring frost-sensitive pots indoors or under cover before cold weather arrives. Keep watering newly planted shrubs, trees and container plants if conditions are dry, but reduce feeding as growth slows. Finally, clear fallen leaves and diseased foliage promptly, especially from roses and fruit trees, to reduce the risk of pests and fungal problems returning next season.