Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

  • Home
  • Recommended Tools
  • Products
  • Categories
    • Complete Guides
    • Gardening
    • Growing
    • Landscape Design
    • Plant Care
    • Propagation
  • Contact
  • About Mike
Home » Backyard Living » What To Do in September in Your Garden

What To Do in September in Your Garden

Updated : August 17, 2015

9 Comments

Here in Ohio, the month of September is one of the most pleasant months of the year.  Warm days and cool evenings are perfect for getting work done around the yard.  You might think that the growing season has ended, but you’d be surprised at all the work there is to be done!

Here are a list of things you should be doing this coming month:

  • Clean up vegetable and perennial gardens
  • Plant spring-blooming bulbs
  • Harvest apples; put spoiled fruit in compost pile
  • Clean off bird feeders and restock with seed
  • Deadhead chrysanthemum plants to prolong bloom
  • Plant garlic for harvest next summer
  • Sow wildflower seed for bloom next spring
  • Clean out rose beds and apply fungicide one last time to susceptible varieties
  • Plant perennials
  • De-thatch and aerate the lawn
  • Prune summer-bearing raspberries
  • Divide peonies, bearded iris and other spring- and summer-blooming perennials.
  • Collect fall seeds from plants
  • Take softwood cuttings of Evergreens and root in sand under mist
  • Start growing/prepping holiday plants such as Christmas Cactus, Amaryllis and Poinsettia

And you thought you were done after you ate the last zucchini?  Get busy! There’s still more to do next month!

Take a gander at these posts...

  • Pruning Azalea Bushes
  • Growing Japanese Maples
  • It’s time to Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants!
  • Do You Have Shotgun Fungus?
  • Tree Stump Removal Instructions

Comments

  1. Terry says

    September 23, 2015 at 10:51 am

    Mike, you had an article/video about leaving plants in pots and then I believe you put them slightly in the ground-side by side. Am I dreaming? I can’t find the article. Thanks

    Reply
    • Mike says

      September 24, 2015 at 7:38 am

      Terry,

      There are a lot of ways to over winter plants in containers and we discuss this a lot in the members area this time of year. I always recommend covering with white plastic, that’s what all of the big growers do. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/11/over-wintering-protecting-plants-for-the-winter/

      Our Backyard Growers Members area is awesome! Learn all about it here:
      http://backyardgrowers.com/join

      Reply
  2. Terry says

    September 10, 2015 at 11:20 am

    My question is about “overwintering”. I have many field grown plants and I want to pot them then overwinter. Many are 1-2 years old-should I pot, surround with leaves, straw, sand? then put a hoop over them with white plastic. I did many smaller plants last year and that worked really great although they weren’t potted. What’s your best advice? Thanks

    Reply
    • Mike says

      September 10, 2015 at 6:57 pm

      Terry,

      If you are going to cover them with white plastic, which is a good idea, then don’t put leaves or straw under the hoop. You don’t need it. Just water them well before covering them, and don’t cover until they are completely dormant. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/11/over-wintering-protecting-plants-for-the-winter/

      Reply
      • Terry says

        September 11, 2015 at 11:46 am

        I have another question? Should I fertilize or wait until spring? I will be using white plastic. Thanks again.

        Reply
        • Mike says

          September 11, 2015 at 6:50 pm

          Terry,

          Waiting until spring is really the best thing to do. You don’t want to initiate a lot of new growth this late in the season.

          Reply
  3. steven krolak says

    September 7, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    Your article about sweet potato slips mentioned not to let the runners go too far or touch the ground to avoid poor harvest of tubers by having too many points of root contact.. What do you do with them then – cut them back?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      September 7, 2015 at 5:23 pm

      Steven,

      I didn’t write that article so I honestly don’t know the answer, anybody else?

      Reply
    • Nathan Strange says

      September 8, 2015 at 2:42 pm

      I’ve always let my slips run all over the place and have no problem getting a great harvest. They root at nodes all along the vine, and those roots grow into tubers. The key is to let them grow as long as possible – wait until just before it gets cold before you harvest. If you do want to cut your leaves/stems, saute the leaves up with some butter and garlic. The youngest leaves are the most tender, of course, but they are all absolutely delicious.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Electric Red Dianthus

‘Electric Red’ Dianthus

I've been working on my perennial bed at the nursery and this Electric Red Dianthus caught my eye and was screaming "make my picture". So I did! Dianthus in general are great perennials for your garden. They are super winter hardy even here in cold … Read Full Article

Copyright © 2023 · Hill Country Digital Media, LLC · Privacy Policy · Earnings Disclaimer · Terms of Service