Jobs for September

Continue to dead-head dahlias, delphiniums, roses and other flowering plants to prolong blooms

Sow hardy plant seeds such as calendula & poppies

Divide herbaceous perennials

Keep hanging baskets looking good by dead-heading, watering & feeding

Bring inside tender perennials like fuchsias before frosts start

Wait for first frosts before lifting any dahlia or other tubers

Get ahead! Plant out spring bulbs

Harvest time!

• potatoes
• french & runner beans
• tomatoes & cucumbers
• cabbages & cauliflowers
• cougette & marrows
• kale & spinach
• lettuce
• onions & leeks
• pumpkins
• radishes
• sweetcorn

Check brassicas for caterpillar eggs on the underside of leaves

Plant autumn onion sets & spring cabbages

Keep feeding tomatoes, peppers & cucumbers

Cut back raspberry canes that have produced fruit and tie back shoots for next years berries

Cut back strawberry plant foliage to 1" above the ground and plant any runners

Put grease bands around fruit trees to stop pests from crawling up and destroying fruits

Prune climbing roses back to a couple of buds on main branches once they have finished flowering

Remove dead & diseased growth from plants and shrubs, remove thick woody stems from the base of the plant if necessary to stimulate new growth

Give hedge a final trim before winter

Dead head shrubs to encourage blooms into early autumn

Keep shrubs well-watered throughout this month

Once the weather becomes more autumnal you can start to move plants & trees if required

Once days become darker remove any shading from glass & green houses 

Clean greenhouses before bringing in any plants, this will also prevent the possible spread of pests & disease 

Lawns can now be mown less frequently than during the summer months - keep lawn length slightly longer to keep in moisture

Apply a lawn feed, scarify and aerate your lawn before adding an autumn lawn feed, then add a top dressing

Apply a patch lawn repair where required

Use a high phosphate feed to strengthen grass roots if needed

Use a lawn weed killer to control any perennial daisies or buttercups

Apply a glyphosate based weedkiller to perennial weeds

Turn garden waste into compost, add an accelerator and turn regularly 

Keep up maintenance of garden sheds, fences and furniture 

Clean and store away any garden furniture not being used

Clean algae & moss from patios, paths and decks in preparation for the colder months