TINA WOODHAMS GARDENING NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER
The hot temperatures experienced during August has meant that our garden plants and produce have peaked earlier this year, and the wheat harvest is reported to be running around three weeks ahead of normal timescales. Water security is becoming increasingly a topic for discussion.
The turning of the season into September brings fewer daylight hours and although still warm, cooler temperatures and mistier mornings. This weather may be more agreeable to us so make the most of your garden! There’s still much to be harvested and stored for the winter months, and plans to be started for the year ahead.
It’s time to lift your maincrop potatoes and dry before storing – use hessian or paper sacks and keep in a cool, dark place away from nibbling rodents! Ensure that your potatoes are all undamaged as you store them, it can take only one rotten tuber to spread disease throughout the entire crop.
Fruits of squash and pumpkin ready for harvest next month should be raised off the surface of the soil to keep them away from dampness and avoid slug damage. Removing leaves from the plants will allow the sun to ripen the skins and increase air circulation between the fruits.
Courgettes are prone to die off at this time however keep them cropping longer by watering beneath the leaves to lessen the risk of powdery mildew.
Use up any remaining seeds of mixed lettuce and spinach by sowing in a protected area or in containers to give you a further harvest before winter, remembering to protect from slugs and snails which will emerge once the soil becomes damp again.
You may be lucky enough to still have annual bedding plants, if so keep on dead heading and feeding once a week to encourage them to provide a display into the autumn. Biennials such as wallflowers and dianthus are available (sometimes in bare root form) and if planted now will give you a reliable source of colour in the spring.
Mulching your borders is a really good method of conserving water in the soil. In preparation for the autumn leaf fall, get ahead of the game and create a leaf mould bin which will in the future provide you with a low-cost way to improve your garden soil.
Spring flowering bulbs will now be available for purchase and depending on variety can be planted from September onwards. So treat yourselves and look forward to creating a splash of colour for next year!
We may have experienced dry, brown lawns during the past few weeks but there’s the wonderful colours of autumn to look forward to.
Happy Gardening!