Things to do in September

Remove any diseased or infested plants from the garden.  Keep these out or the compost pile. September is a good time to start a compost pile, if you haven’t already.

Don’t let shade tree leaves pile up more than a few inches deep over your perennials because they pack down, forming an impenetrable layer.  Run them over with your mower, use a few inches as mulch over your perennial and vegetable gardens or add to your compost pile or stockpile for use as mulch next summer.

Improve your soil:  add organic matter at least twice a year, plant cover crops.  Leave no bare soil. Check the soil pH and add sulfur or lime only if necessary and in correct amounts.

Prepare a new garden site for planting next spring or change the size of your current garden.

Make notes of which varieties did best and which you won’t grow again.  Make a sketch of your perennial garden of what to move, replace or add next year.

Divide, move, or cut back early blooming perennials (bearded iris, dianthus, campanula).

Bring geraniums indoors.  There are a few different ways to keep them over the winter.

Buy and plant trees, shrubs, perennials that are on sale now.  Check for signs of healthy growth.

Suspending old sheet, blankets towels above plants offers some frost protection.

Cut peonies and bearded iris and remove debris.  These plants are prone to disease and insects. Cut perennials 3 inches above ground.  Leave some perennials for winter interest.  (Phlox, Echinacea, Siberian Iris, Sedum Autumn Joy, Yarrow)

Fertilize your lawn around Labor Day and 2 weeks after the last time you mow (Early November).

Harvest pumpkins before a hard frost, even if they haven’t colored up yet. Leave plants that improve in flavor after a frost:  spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, root crops. Click here for a complete harvest guide.

Dig up tender corns, tubers, and bulbs (dahlias, gladiolus, acidanthera) before the ground freezes. Store in paper bags in peat moss in a cool, ventilated location.

After the harvest, for raspberries that fruited this summer, cut fruiting canes down to the ground.

Looking for more Tips?
Choose your month and click!