September is one of my favorite months in the garden. 🍂 The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler, but there’s still plenty happening — from late-season blooms and vegetable harvests to hummingbirds feeding like crazy as they bulk up for their long journey south.
It’s also time to start looking ahead. A little attention now can help your garden finish the growing season strong and prepare it for the colder months ahead.
Here are a few timely tips for your September garden.
September Garden To-Do List
- Keep harvesting early and often for the most tender, flavorful produce — and to keep your plants producing as long as possible. Need ideas for using your haul? Check out Amazing Eats From Your Harvest.
- Keep those hummingbird feeders up! In my Zone 5 garden, I leave feeders out well into October to give hummingbirds plenty of opportunity to fuel up before and during migration. Keep the nectar fresh and feeders clean, and protect delicate feeders if freezing temperatures are expected. Find more tips in Secrets to a Hummingbird-Friendly Yard.
- Shop now for fall-planted flowering bulbs and garlic so you’re ready for October planting time. Store flowering bulbs in a cool, dry place until planting time, and now’s a great time to read up on growing glorious garlic so you’re ready to plant when the time is right.
- Give your lawn some fall attention. Cooler temperatures make September a great time to reseed thin or bare areas, lay sod or aerate established lawns. Fall is also a great time to fertilize — look for a lawn fertilizer formulated for fall application to help your lawn head into winter strong.
- Don’t put away the hose yet. Annuals, vegetable gardens and especially first-year perennials still need water during dry spells. Aim for about an inch of water per week and remember that plants need adequate moisture heading into winter. Learn how to water well here.
- Keep weeding. Pull perennial weeds like thistles, dandelions and creeping Charlie now, along with volunteer trees and unwanted seedlings, to get a jump on spring. Need the right tools for the job? Check out my Gardening Must Haves.
- Start making some tough calls. Annuals that are truly finished can head to the compost pile. Tired perennial foliage can be cut back as appropriate — but don’t get carried away with fall cleanup. Leaving stems and seed heads provides winter interest and valuable habitat for wildlife.
- Remember that a garden doesn’t have to be perfectly tidy to be beautiful — or beneficial. If yours is looking a little wild around the edges, you’re in good company! Read more about why I’m embracing the messy garden.
September is one of those wonderful in-between months. I’m still bringing plenty in from the garden, but cooler days have me shifting toward soup season and putting that harvest to work in cozier ways. A crockpot full of homemade marinara is one of my favorite ways to use up tomatoes — and make the whole house smell amazing in the process! 🍅
This is a season to savor. Take in the cooler days, the late blooms, the last big harvests and all the life still buzzing around your garden. There will be plenty of time for cleanup later. For now, get outside and enjoy what you’ve grown. Happy gardening! 🌱
