September in the Garden

By Jens Molbak
For The Woodinville Weekly, September 2009

If you think September is the time to reap what you’ve sown during spring and summer, you’re right. Savor every tomato, cucumber and squash as it ripens. Snip those bold beautiful blooms and bring summer color indoors. Then roll up your sleeves. After all, it’s September—time to get busy planting cool weather vegetables, getting trees and shrubs in the ground, and prepping your lawn for winter.

Cool-weather veggies 

Our Northwest climate is perfect for a second or even third planting of lettuce, spinach, and arugula, and for growing cool-weather veggies such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Beginners should try planting starts of beets, cabbage, kale, chard, lettuce and spinach, suggests Cheryl Anderson, a Molbak’s gardening pro. “Try to get a new crop started before Labor Day,” she says. “You’ll be amazed at how quickly everything grows in the fall.” 

Most summer veggies crops will continue producing right into September.  But when you see no new veggies forming on summer crops, go ahead and rip them out and replace with cool-weather veggies or a nitrogen-building cover crop, such as fava beans or crimson and white clover. 

Trees and shrubs

Take stock of your yard with an eye to finding varieties that provide fall and winter color.  And keep in mind that September is THE best month to add larger plants to your garden.

“Planting now allows evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs to start knitting their roots into the soil,” explains Molbak’s nurseryman, Jaye Keye. “We like to say the first year they sleep, the second they creep and the third year they leap.” Getting them in the ground in the fall, gives them the best foundation for future growth.

Instead of using peat moss or bark as mulch to protect roots from the cold, Keye suggests using compost.  A nice layer of compost offers good frost protection, helps to keep the weeds down, and provides the nutrients needed to build healthy soil.

Moving into fall, taper off on watering trees and shrubs so they harden off before winter. For other tips on watering, check the Saving Water Partnership’s online guide, accessible through the Web site of the Woodinville Water District: http://www.woodinvillewater.com/Conservation/District%20Program/District%20Program.htm.

Lawn care

If moles or moss have gotten the best of your lawn, overseeding is the answer.  According to Debbie Cogswell, Molbak’s lawn expert, building a healthy lawn in September will produce dividends in the coming year.  “When your lawn is thick and lush,” she says, “there is less opportunity for weeds, moss and disease to take hold”.

To get the best results start by aerating or thatching your lawn to increase air circulation and water absorption.  Next, spread good quality grass seed, adding thin layers of compost and starter fertilizer to ensure the new lawn gets off to a strong start.  Finally, if Mother Nature isn’t doing her part, make sure your lawn is getting ½ inch of water each week. 

Summer may be drawing to a close, but by investing a little time in September, you can extend the enjoyment of your garden well into the fall and lay the groundwork for a beautiful spring.

Happy Gardening!
Jens

Jens Molbak runs Molbak’s in Woodinville with his wife, Blair. He can be reached at jmolbak@molbaks.com. More information on gardening is at www.molbaks.com.