Monthly Gardening Guide
SEPTEMBER
Your Gardening To-Do List
Vegetables & Herbs
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Plant cool season vegetables now (cabbage, turnips, kale, mustard, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, collards, carrots, beets).
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Keep seedlings & transplants watered and mulched. Fertilize weekly.
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Plant garlic cloves now through Thanksgiving for harvest in June.
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Harvest storage potatoes (dig up when plants begin to die, lay them on the ground for a few hours, then store them in a cool dark spot without washing. "Cure" sweet potatoes in a warm, dark place for 10-14 days before storing.
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Harvest onions after tops have withered and dry them in a sunny location for 10 days, and store them in a cool dark spot.
Shrubs & Trees
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Plant new trees or shrubs (or transplant existing ones).
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Keep shrubs and trees watered to make sure they go into winter hydrated.
Houseplants
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Bring houseplants indoors for the winter.
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Control aphids, mealy bugs, mites and scale with horticulture oils that are available at your local garden center.
Annuals & Perennials
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Plant fall-blooming perennials now for late season color in your garden.
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Divide spring-blooming bulbs, hosta, and daylilies; replant using a granular root stimulator.
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Amend soil with compost, Leaf-Gro, or manure to give your spring garden a head start.
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Trim dead leaves and stems from shrubs and trees.
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Plant mums, pansies, and ornamental cabbage for fall color.
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Plant cool season flowering annuals such as snapdragons, dianthus, and ornamental peppers for fall color.
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Continue to fertilize and water annuals.
Lawn
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Overseed, patch, or start a new lawn.
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Fertilize once this month (and again in October)
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Apply lime after fertilizing (if soil test indicates that lime is needed).
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Keep newly seeded lawn watered, and don't let it dry out.
Wildlife
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Put out bird seed for migrating birds.