September has a change-of-season feel about it, with warm days and cool evenings the garden starts to slow down its production. It is a great time to prepare beds and get ahead of weeding.
Fruit & veg
Sow Now:
Winter hardy lettuce, winter spinach, radish.
Harvest Now:
September is the time to harvest pumpkin, courgette, beetroot, lettuce, French and runner beans, carrots, peas, radish, sweetcorn and autumn raspberries.
Jobs now:
- Pinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes
- Pick herbs for drying
Order garlic bulbs ready for planting in autumn
Plants
Pick flowers for drying
Sow green manure:
Once your plants have finished cropping, think about growing a green manure. They smother weeds and their roots hold on to the soil, preventing erosion in the winter rains. When you need the space, just dig them in or dig up and add to your compost.
They return valuable nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure. Winter tares, winter field beans and grazing rye are all good for sowing now.
Wildlife
Search for butterflies and dragonflies. They will be around garden ponds, wildflower meadows and in your local park. See if you can record all the different colours that you see.