The “ Dog Days of August ” are finally behind us . September in the Piedmont is a calendar month that transitions into fall with hot summer day but cooling night . It ’s also a month that confront the gardener with sundry feeling . After a recollective time of year of planting , weeding , harvesting , and battle an ever - changing list of pests , I sometimes wish that the season would just occur to an end ! At other times , I desire to unfold the growing and harvesting season into winter . But , mixed feeling or not , there are always garden tasks to do , and here is my list for September . allow ’s begin with the inadequate version of theSeptember To - Do List : continue harvest home vegetables , continue bump off dog-tired spring and summertime crops , works flow crops and cover crop , and , of grade , preserve weeding .
Here in cardinal Virginia , we can harvest fresh produce well into the fall and often into early winter . No matter how ragged the summer garden looks , a fall garden offers us not only a second growing time of year , but also a second chance to plant those early springtime crops that failed in the summer heat . September in fundamental Virginia is a continuation of twilight planting season and a clip to begin preparing the garden for winter by constitute covering fire crop in vacated areas of the garden .
The observe planting chart was make by using theVirginia Cooperative Extension Publication 426 - 331 , “ Fall Vegetable Gardening . ”
Plant garlicin our area during the calendar month of October . Remember , many retailers quickly exhaust their inventory of the most democratic varieties before October . If you have n’t purchased garlic for fall planting , meter is running out . A few garden center in our sphere sell garlic electric light for fall planting , but the variety are somewhat limited . However , an on-line search for “ Garlic Bulbs for Sale ” will bestow up numerous sources . For additional info , check out the clause on grow great ail in theOctober 15issue ofThe Garden Shed .
September is an excellent metre to sowcover crops in unornamented areas of your garden . For extra information on cover crops , refer to theSeptember 2015issue ofThe Garden Shed .
Give your tomato plantsone last feeding . Compost teatime or Pisces the Fishes emulsion should give them the excess energy they need to make that final push at the ending of the time of year . Pinching off little greenish tomatoes and any unexampled flowerswill transmission channel the works ’s energy into ripening the remaining full - size of it yield .
Plant somecool - season vegetablessuch as radishes , spinach , sugar , mustard and collards .
accumulate herbsfrom your herb garden for freezing and dry . If you do n’t have access code to a dehydrator , herbs can be dried apace in a microwave oven . only place the herb between two newspaper publisher towel and heat for a moment . take out them from the oven , cool , then try out to see if the leaves are crisp . If not , rejoin them to the microwave for a few more seconds . fund in seal jars in a dark blank space so they will keep their color and flavor .
sens upchives , parsley , and other herb , and convey them into the house to extend the growing season .
Remove any morbid plantsfrom the garden and burn them or bag and dispose of them to prevent spreading disease to future industrial plant . Only compost healthy plant .
Take a tour of your own vegetable garden andmake noteson this year ’s varieties , successes , challenge and job , so that you’re able to find out for next yr . Make a sketchshowing the location of this twelvemonth ’s plants to be used next outpouring for rotate your crop .
Continue to weedyour garden to prevent the pot from going to seeded player and germinating over the wintertime and spring .
Removeall two - year - old canesfromraspberry and blackberry bush plantsto thin out overwintering of disease . Fertilizers bear K , phosphorus and atomic number 12 or Ca can be apply but do not cultivate or water at this clip of the year .
Keepthestrawberry patchweed free . Every weed you pull will avail attain weed easier next spring .
Fall weed controlaround fruit treesis crucial becauseweeds act as hosts to overwintering worm .
Thanks for joining us inThe Garden Shed — hope to see you again next month !
Sources :
“ Gardening by Month – September , ” Missouri Botanical Garden , http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / gardens - gardening / your - garden / assistant - for - the - home - gardener / advice - tips - resourcefulness / horticulture - by - calendar month / september.aspx
“ Monthly Horticulture Tip Sheets — Herbs , September , ” Va. Coop . Ext . Albemarle / Charlottesville , https://albemarle.ext.vt.edu / content / decametre / albemarle_ext_vt_edu / files / hort - peak - sheets/9 - 14 - herbs.pdf
“ Monthly Horticulture Tip Sheets — Fruit and Nuts , September , ” Va. Coop . Ext . Albemarle / Charlottesville , https://albemarle.ext.vt.edu / subject matter / dam / albemarle_ext_vt_edu / files / hort - pourboire - sheets/9 - 14 - fruits - nuts.pdf
