Use This September Garden Checklist to Get Ready for Fall

Jenny Rose Carey stated in a New York Times article that September is the new May. She goes to fall gardens around the country to see what is still in bloom in September and then applies what she learns in her garden.

Carey's strategy involves year-round proactive garden maintenance, going beyond caring for the flowers and plants that are currently in season, and working ahead to maximize future growth in her garden.

The rest of us could benefit from doing preventative maintenance. If you don't know what to do in the garden this month, check out the September garden checklist.

September garden checklist

These tasks might not apply to your garden. Here are the things to do in your garden in September.

Flowers (annuals and perennials)

• Continue deadheading to encourage growth of a few last flowers this season.

• Divide and/or plant daylilies and peonies early in the month, if you haven’t done so already.
• Start planting spring-flowering bulbs (like daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, crocus, or iris) at the end of the month (or wait until October). Ideally, you want to do this to about six weeks before the ground freezes, or when regular nighttime temperatures are between 40 and 50 degrees. (It’s important to get the bulbs in the ground before it freezes so the roots have time to get established.)

Fruits, vegetables, and herbs

• Continue to harvest fruits and vegetables as they ripen. Leave collards, kale, and Brussels sprouts alone until the first frost, then harvest. (This improves their flavor.)
• Plant a fall cover crop (like oats, winter rye, winter wheat, crimson clover, and hairy vetch) to protect and improve your soil.
• Can, ferment, dry, or freeze any surplus produce.

This Lifehacker guide to composting can help if you want to start a compost heap.