GARDEN JOBS IN SEPTEMBER

September can be seen as the start of autumn. Not a nice thought but there is no getting away from the shorter days and the chill that can be often felt in the early mornings. In a good year there can be an Indian Summer but temperatures are cooling and the first signs of frost can often be seen.

The early autumn months are probably the best time of the year for undertaking your heavy soil work. Nature should be providing moisture therefore the soil should be soft enough to work quite easily and there will be no frozen soil. So now is a good time for digging, improving your soil and making any raised beds.

Many fruits should be at, or very near, their peak now so harvesting of pears, plums and apples should be underway before the start of heavy frosts and the strong winds of later months that will cause the fruit to fall.

GARDEN MAINTENANCE IN SEPTEMBER

Look after your soil! You can't get a better time to dig heavy clay soils before the rains of later months make it too heavy to easily work. If you do have clay soils then dig in pea shingle and sand to improve drainage.

The last of your potatoes and onions should be lifted. Make sure you remove ALL of the potatoes to ensure you don't have them growing next spring in the middle of your next crop.

Start to tidy the garden and remove the falling leaves.

Collect the leaves and store for leaf mould.

Clear flower beds, generally tidy borders and start to cut back plants. This will not just improve growth next year but will also help to protect against pests. Slugs and snails are rampant now as there is still enough warmth for them but the heat and dryness of the high summer months are over. Removing debris will limit the places they hide and now is also a very good time to apply Biological Pest Control products especially against Leatherjacket and Slugs.

VEGETABLE GARDEN SOWING IN SEPTEMBER

Vegetable gardening in September should be a very busy time for planting. There are many varieties of vegetable that should be sown now to harvest in through the winter months and into spring. Here is just a selection of some of the vegetables that can be sown now:

Cauliflowers there are many varieties to choose from and many can be sown during this month.
Spinach can go out now. This will give it the chance to establish before the heavy frosts and be ready to pick in spring.
Garlic like a little bit of cold weather to grow well.
Herbs many varieties of herb can be sown now such as Fennel and Lovage.

Now is the time to plan your main planting for the next few months so have a look at our seed varieties and see what catches your eye.

Onion Seeds - VIEW

Which Seeds to Sow in September

The last of the warm evenings and barbecues befrore the nights draw in! Take advantage by sowing some seeds now so that you can continue the Summer taste!