The “ Dog Days of August ” are finally in the rear scene mirror . September in the Piedmont is a month that transition into fall with hot summer days but cool off nights . It ’s also a calendar month that face the gardener with mixed look . After a long season of planting , weeding , harvest home , and battle an ever - change tilt of pests , I sometimes wish that the season would just come to an conclusion ! At other times , I desire to extend the growing and harvesting time of year into wintertime . But , mixed feelings or not , there are always gardening chore to do , and here is my listing for September .

plant life garlicin our region during the calendar month of October . recall , many retailers quickly exhaust their inventories of the most popular diversity before October . If you have n’t purchased garlic for fall planting , time is running out . A few garden heart and soul in our area sell garlic bulbs for fall planting but the diverseness are somewhat circumscribed . However , an on-line search for “ Garlic Bulbs for sales event ” will bring up numerous sources .   Be certain to checkThe Garden Shednext calendar month for an clause on growing great Allium sativum .

September is an excellent time tosow cover cropsin bare orbit of your garden . See our article on comprehend craw in this calendar month ’s upshot ofThe Garden Shed .

Give yourtomatoplants one last eating . Compost tea or Pisces emulsion should give them the excess energy they demand to make that final energy at the goal of the season . Pinching off lowly greenish tomatoes and any new flowers will channel the flora ’s free energy into mature the remaining full - size fruit .

Plant somecool - season vegetablessuch as radishes , Spinacia oleracea , kale , leaf mustard and collards .

gather herbsfrom your herb garden for freezing and drying . If you do n’t have access to a dehydrator , herbscan be dried quickly in a microwave oven . only place the herbs between two paper towels and heat for a minute . Remove them from the oven , nerveless , then quiz to see if the farewell are laconic . If not , bring back them to the microwave oven for a few more seconds . Store in seal jars in a grim topographic point so they will keep their color and flavor .

take any pathologic plantsfrom the garden and glow them or grip and dispose of them to keep spreading disease to next plant life . Onlycompost sound plants .

Take a term of enlistment of your own veg garden and make noteson this year ’s varieties , success , challenges and chores so that you may learn for next class . Make a sketch of your plants to be used next leaping for rotating your crops .

Continue to weedyour garden to prevent the pot from going to seed and germinating over the winter and spring .

Removeall 2 yr - honest-to-goodness canesfrom raspberry and blackberry works to reduce overwintering of disease . Fertilizers containing potassium , phosphorus and magnesium or Ca can be applied but do not domesticate or irrigate at this metre of the twelvemonth .

Keepthe strawberry patchweed free . Every weed you pull will assist making weed easier next natural spring .

Even before autumn get in , we gardener are already planning for next spring !

Thanks for connect us inThe Garden Shed , hope to see you again next month !

Cited Sources :

Missouri Botanical Garden , “ horticulture by Month - September”,http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / gardens - garden / your - garden / help - for - the - house - nurseryman / advice - baksheesh - resourcefulness / gardening - by - month / september.aspx

Virginia Cooperative Extension , Albemarle / Charlottes , “ Monthly Horticulture Tip Sheets- Herbs , September”,http://offices.ext.vt.edu / albemarle / programs / anr / bakshis - sheets/9 - 14 - herbs.pdf

Virginia Cooperative Extension , Albemarle / Charlottes , “ Monthly Horticulture Tip Sheets- Fruits and Herbs , September”,http://offices.ext.vt.edu / albemarle / programs / anr / confidential information - sheets/9 - 14 - fruit - nuts.pdf