What to sow and grow in September
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| Sow 'Red Hot Pokers' for stunning displays next summer Image: Kniphofia 'Erecta' from Thompson & Morgan |
September might be peak harvest time, but there’s still plenty to sow and grow this month.
Here's a handy list of what to plant in September, along with the flowers, fruits and vegetables you can grow this month:
Flowers to sow and grow
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| Start verbascum off in a cold frame Image: Verbascum x hybrida 'Snow Maiden' from Thompson & Morgan |
Here are the flowers to sow and grow this month:
In the greenhouse/indoors
- • Surface-sow euphorbia seeds now in trays indoors.
- • Sow dierama seed now on the surface of moist compost. Keep in a cool greenhouse over winter.
In the cold frame / under cloches
- • Sow calendula seeds in pots now and keep in a cold frame, for fruity colour from early summer next year.
- • Sow violas in a cold frame to plant out in the spring.
- • Sow lupins, aquilegia, aconitum and hollyhocks in a cold frame now.
- • Sow eryngium and echinops in pots and place in a cold frame this month to enjoy their silvery spiky foliage next year.
- • Start verbascum seeds off outdoors now in pots in a cold frame.
- • Sow perennial salvias into pots and trays outdoors and leave in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse through the winter.
- • Sow red hot pokers into pots and trays outdoors for stunning flowers next summer.
- • Sow helenium in a cold frame to attract bees and butterflies into your garden next year.
Direct sow outdoors
- • Sow Ammi majus (Bishop's Weed) directly in the ground now where you'd like it to flower. Autumn sowing will produce bigger, more robust plants to grow.
- • Sow hardy geraniums outdoors and leave them to over-winter.
- • Direct sow hardy annuals, such as cornflowers, poached egg plant, annual poppies and larkspur, for bigger plants next year.
- • Sprinkle California poppies into your borders for stunning colour late next spring.
- • Direct sow Love-in-a-Mist (nigella) - it will over-winter quite happily and will self-seed prolifically!
- • Sow delphiniums this month for flowers next summer.
Plant outdoors
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| Extend the season by filling any gaps with chrysanthemums Image: Chrysanthemum x hortorum 'Anastasia' from Thompson & Morgan |
- • Fill gaps in your borders with autumn-flowering plants, such as sedum and chrysanthemum, to extend the colour to the end of the season.
- • Plant hyacinth and amaryllis bulbs for forcing, to ensure a crowd of colourful blooms at Christmas. Keep them in a dark, cool place like a shed or garage and bring them indoors when the shoots are 5cm tall. Perfect for a homemade Christmas present!
- • Plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, crocus and hyacinths.
- • Plant out any biennial plants sown earlier in the year. This includes foxgloves, wallflowers and violas.
- • Plant new perennials, trees and shrubs. Now is a good time as the soil is still warm and increasing rainfall should be on its way.
Vegetables and herbs to sow and grow
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| September's your last chance to sow summer radishes Image: Radish 'French Breakfast' from Thompson & Morgan |
Here are your vegetables and herbs to sow and grow this September:
In the cold frame/ greenhouse/ under cloches
- • Direct sow spinach now and offer cloche protection as the weather cools. This will ensure harvests throughout autumn and winter.
- • Sow spring cabbages, such as 'April' and 'Durham Early' into modules in the greenhouse.
- • Sow pak choi under cloches now for an autumn supply of baby salad leaves.
Direct sow outdoors
- • Sow corn salad (lamb's lettuce) now - it’s a fully hardy crop which can be sown outdoors now for cropping throughout the autumn and winter.
- • Sow 'green manures' on empty beds now to help improve your soil structure and prevent weeds establishing over winter.
- • Sow 'Hi Keeper' onions into a well-prepared seedbed - these are the best variety of onion for autumn sowing. Only thin your onion seedlings in the spring.
- • Direct sow salad leaves now.
- • Try sowing the very hardy 'Perpetual' spinach outdoors this month for winter harvests later in the year.
- • Sow winter-hardy spring onions, such as 'White Lisbon' and 'Performer' for crops next spring.
- • Make your last direct sowings of summer radishes this month - the cool autumn conditions are ideal.
- • Sow turnip seeds into well-prepared beds this September, for small roots.
- • Sow winter lettuce, such as 'Arctic King', directly into the ground now.
Plant outdoors
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| It's time to get onion sets in the ground Image: Onion 'Shakespeare' (Autumn Planting) from Thompson & Morgan |
- • Start planting garlic bulbs at the end of the month for cropping next year.
- • Plant autumn onion sets this month.
- • Plant out any spring cabbages sown during the summer.
Keep one step ahead - what to order this month
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| Stock up on rhubarb now Image: Rhubarb 'Delight' (Spring/Autumn Planting) from Thompson & Morgan |
- • Order sweet pea seeds to start in cold frames in October.
- • Buy in autumn onion sets for an early summer harvest next year.
- • Order rhubarb crowns and asparagus crowns to plant next month.
What to do in the garden archive
- Back to 'In the Garden this Month'
- What to sow and grow in January
- What to sow and grow in February
- What to sow and grow in March
- What to sow and grow in April
- What to sow and grow in May
- What to sow and grow in June
- What to sow and grow in July
- What to sow and grow in August
- What to sow and grow in September
- What to sow and grow in October
- What to sow and grow in November
- What to sow and grow in December
