As we move out of summer, The September Garden Guide is here to remind you of your key gardening tasks for the coming month.
During September, the nights will noticeably draw in and the temperature likely cool. It’s time to reflect on the passing summer, gather in the harvest and get your garden ready for autumn.
Here are our top 10 tips to help you make the most of your September garden and to ensure it is well prepared for the autumn and beyond.
Top 10 September Gardening Tips
1. Harvest Potatoes and Other Crops
It’s important to lift potatoes this month to avoid slug damage.
Store them in sacks or boxes, in a cool, dark place.
Avoid using plastic containers as this will lead to condensation and cause the potatoes to rot.
Lettuce, beans and carrots should be harvested regularly to avoid a glut.
2. Collect More Seeds
Following on from August, collect seeds if you want to increase the number of plants in your garden.
Wait for a dry day, place a paper bag over the flowerhead, cut the stem and turn the plant upside down.
Once the seeds have fallen into the bag, store in a dark, dry place until sowing.
3. Divide Perennials
This is another way to increase plant numbers, as well as ensuring your perennials thrive.
Working from the centre, use a fork to gently tease the crown apart.
Continue this until you have little clumps of plants.
Shake off any excess soil and replant in your chosen area.
4. Cut Back Flowers
Make sure your plants are putting all their energy into growth and producing further blooms.
The more you cut, the more flowers they’ll produce.
Of course, the flowers you cut will ensure a ready supply for your autumn vases.
5. Raspberries and Strawberries
It’s time to pick your autumn-fruiting raspberries.
Don’t worry if you have a glut as they freeze well.
Regarding strawberries, fill small pots with compost and plant them near the main plant.
Peg the strawberry runners to the pots and, once roots appear, cut either side and you have some newly-potted strawberry plants.
6. Care for Houseplants
Gradually reduce watering your houseplants.
By the end of the month, you should only be watering them when the soil is almost dry.
If you have kept your houseplants on the patio over the summer, check for pests, bring them back in and clean their leaves.
7. Cover Leafy Crops
Protect your sprouts, and other leafy crops, by covering them with bird-proof netting.
Otherwise, the pigeons will peck at them and you could only be left with the stalks to eat.
8. Net Ponds Too
All ponds require maintenance to prevent them from becoming an eyesore, as well as to protect the fish and other wildlife that inhabit them.
Now is a good time to net them, just before the leaves start to fall.
9. Clean the Greenhouse
The temperature’s not too cold outside, so get everything out of the greenhouse and give it a good clean.
Remove algae, moss, old leaves and other debris to let in more light and prevent pests and diseases.
10. Plant Spring Bulbs
With the exception of tulips, where you should wait another month or so before planting, now is the time to put all of your spring-flowering bulbs into borders and containers.
They’ll start to grow roots before winter sets in and next year’s garden will get off to a super start.
Garden Supplies for Sale
Here at Buy Sheds Direct, we know how much you value spending time in your garden.
That’s why we stock a superb range of greenhouses, wooden planters and other garden supplies, to help you make the most of it the whole year round.
Main image: asters