Garden Notes: September

Here is the second set of my Garden notes..for the first set click 'Label below and scroll down.

September Notes

Cover ponds with netting to keep out fallen leaves

Remove greenhouse shading & close ventilators at night - reduce watering & damping down - continue to sow winter salads in the greenhouse

Remove debris from beans & peas when they have finished cropping - leave roots in the ground to dispense their nitrogen

Sow over wintering green manures & grow turnips for their tops as a useful often neglected winter vegetable

Remove debris from beans & peas when they have finished cropping - leave roots in the ground to dispense their nitrogen

Harvest all potatoes by early September where slugs are a problem - lift on dry days & store when dry September can be the worst month for weeds - catch them before seed ripens

Pot up bulbs for spring flowering inside & put them in a cool place

Lift beet & carrots before splitting is brought on by wet weather

Lawns - rake out dead thatch & aerate compacted areas when moist

Prune out old canes of all hybrid berries & prune back climbing & rambling roses after flowering Cut back parsley so new growth can be made for winter

Cut down tomatoes to ripen off indoors or under cloches Remove earwigs from dahlias

Cut down perennials but leave seed heads for birds - lift & divide plants if necessary

Remove net from fruits to allow birds to clean up pests - when picking ensure the fruit parts readily from the spur & if picking for storage pick under-ripe fruits with stalks & handle gently - check tips of fruit trees & bushes for mildew & cut off if you see it - remove & compost mulches from around fruits

Make use of edible flowers like ‘peppery’ nasturtiums, ‘nutty’ pot marigold petals & squash flowers in salads

Insulate worm bins with sacking or bubble wrap to keep them going through winter

Use fleece or cloches to coax an extra few weeks from crops like dwarf beans & courgettes

Earth up greens, stake & watch for caterpillars

Photos from Charles Roffey's blog - except potatoes which I harvested this week