garden Borders and beyond
September is the time when dahlias, ornamental grasses, chrysanthemums and panicle hydrangeas strut their stuff, when other plants are starting to go over. There is still time to take cuttings of salvia varieties that may not be reliably hardy in the PNW. Root them in a pot and overwinter them in the greenhouse or a sunny windowsill indoors for added insurance, just in case the mother plant does not survive.
This is a good time to plan your fall planting of trees and bulbs, as well as a good time to divide and transplant your perennials. The soil is still warm, and the heat of summer is tapering off, so plants will not be as stressed when put in the ground, and they will also benefit from having the fall months to settle in before the onset of winter.
in the vegetable patch
Enjoy the bounty!
In the vegetable patch. Keep your beans, cucumbers and zucchinis harvested to encourage continued fruiting. The mild summer we have had so far means that the warm weather vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers are just starting to ripen. If your tomatoes are still flowering, you may want to nip off the top and all the blooms to encourage the plants to focus on ripening the green fruit instead.
Do the same with your winter squashes - just cut off all the lateral vines and side shoots. Pick off any small-sized fruit that is unlikely to reach maturity by mid October, so the plant can focus its energy on ripening the larger fruits. Greens such as arugula, cabbage, mustard greens, cilantro, endive and lettuce can be sowed from seed in early September, but will need cloche protection to allow for harvest through the winter and/or over-wintering for a spring harvest.
If you have empty beds, consider sowing a cover crop to protect the soil from winter rains and to add organic matter. My favorite cover crop is buckwheat, as it germinates fast and is winter-killed, which means less work as I don't have to dig it in the spring.
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