September should bring relief to gardens in the Northern Hemisphere and signal the start of a new season for gardeners in areas that have been too warm for anything but hothouse tropicals, as well as southern hemisphere gardeners. So whether you are beginning the process of putting your garden to bed or gearing up for a fresh start, September can be one of the busiest months in the garden. Let’s just hope the weather cooperates.

Everyone

Miscellaneous

• Stop pruning and fertilizing
• Bring summer vacationing houseplants back indoors while the windows are still open. Check carefully for hitchhiking pests
• Start fall clean-up in the flower beds, cutting back anything that has finished blooming or is diseased
• Take cuttings to overwinter indoors
• Watch for frost warning and cover tender plants
• Photograph your gardens and containers for a record of the year’s triumphs and frustrations
• Give the compost a last turn

Ornamentals

• Divide and move perennials
• Dig and store tender bulbs like: dahlias, caladiums, cannas and tuberous begonias
• Start planting spring flowering bulbs

Vegetables

• Harvest remaining vegetables, including green tomatoes. (Ripen by wrapping each in a sheet of newspaper and storing in a cool (55 - 60 degrees F.) dark spot
• Wait for a hard frost before harvesting Brussel Sprouts vPick herbs for drying or freezing
• Cure winter squash for storage. Place in a cool, sheltered shady spot for about 1 month.

Fruit

• Clean up fallen fruit

Trees & Shrubs

• Plant trees and shrubs. Keep well watered, if there isn’t sufficient rain.

Pests

• Dispose of any diseased or infested plant debris, to avoid overwintering the problem

Warmer Areas

• Restart the vegetable garden. Start seeds of heat lovers like tomatoes and peppers
• Direct sow seeds of lettuce, greens, onions, peas, beans and broccoli
• Seed cool season annuals
• Plant fall bulbs
• Plant perennials and shrubs
• Keep fruits picked as they ripen
• Prune summer flowering shrubs