Jobs to do in September

September marks the beginning of a new season; leaves turn from luscious greens to shades of amber and burgundy, layers of moss develop on fallen leaves and plants begin to settle in. Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year and as the season begins to change, a new wave of gardening tasks await us.

Autumn is one of the best planting seasons; the heat from the summer sun remains in the ground and as the rain falls, moisture also seeps into the soil, giving plants all they need to survive the winter months. However, when it comes to your lawn, you may want to incorporate an autumn feed.

Now is the time to start planting your evergreens, tender Mediterranean plants such as rosemary and lavender and spring flowering bulbs. It’s important to plant evergreens this month or next to give their roots time to engage with their new surroundings before the winter months. If the roots are not engaged and are unable to draw water, they’re more liable to die of drought.

With bulbs, separate the woodlanders (for example, anemone and dog tooth violet) from the dry varieties. Prioritise the planting of woodlanders and leave the dry bulbs, such as tulips and narcissus in a dry and airy place before planting.

September is a great time to get your hands dirty planting a variety of perennials, climbers and shrubs. To find out more, we here at Notcutts have an extensive list of plants you can incorporate into the garden in our September and October Monthly Calendar.

Allotment

Allocate as much time on the allotment as you can as September can prove to be an extremely busy month. Now is the time to start sowing spring lettuces, salad leaves, winter spinach, pak choi and turnips and planting spring cabbage and autumn onion sets.

Harvesting is also a big job this month, so start digging up your:

Salad leaves, lettuces, radishes, potatoes, globe artichokes, Spinach, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, Runner beans, beetroot, leaf beet, spring onions, Bulb onions (from store), carrots, parsnips, peas, Squashes, marrows and courgettes.

As the chillier months are descending upon us, September is the best time to begin protecting and enriching the soil. Simply sow green manures; doing so will help retain the nutrients in the soil instead of them being washed away by the winter rain. These plants not only provide a covering over the soil, generating a protective shield, but they also absorb nutrients such as nitrogen, locking them up to be released once the plants are dug back into the soil in spring.

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