TINA WOODHAMS GARDENING NOTES

September can bring pleasant temperatures and a moderate rainfall with cooler night temperatures and shorter days. The strength of light that plants receive changes with the seasons and many will use the length of the day to judge when to flower or set their seed. The soil is warm still from the summer sun and with the rainfall generally increasing, it is a good time of year to plant new perennials or create a new lawn, particularly towards the end of the month.

Continue to deadhead annuals and perennials to extend the flowering season, and remember, with a little TLC in the shape of watering and feeding, pots and hanging baskets can be kept blooming until mid-autumn.

Everyone loves something for free! Increase the number of plants in your garden by collecting seeds from perennials and retain in labelled envelopes to grow next year. Dividing perennials that have finished flowering will not only give you more plants but will also improve future health and vigour of existing ones. Plant and water in the divisions well. Cuttings of fuschia, salvia, pelargonium and osteospermum may be taken now and these can sometimes perform better from new cuttings each year. Grow the cuttings inside, either in the greenhouse or on a light windowsill.

Keep harvesting crops! There is reliably a glut of produce so aim to freeze, dry, pickle or store to benefit at a later date - or share with your neighbours. In the vegetable patch it's time to lift maincrop potatoes and dry off before storing - use hessian or paper sacks and keep in a cool, dark spot away from mice and other rodents. It's important to store only undamaged tubers as one rotten potato can spread disease throughout the entire crop.

Remove the leaves of pumpkins and squash to help the skins ripen and promote adequate ventilation. To prevent rotting and deter those pesky slugs the fruits are best raised slightly off the surface of the soil. If tomatoes are still green, pick the trusses and ripen indoors. One theory is to place them in a paper bag with a banana which releases ethylene, a hormone associated with the ripening of fruit. Alternatively seek out a great recipe for green tomato chutney and put your culinary skills to the test!

Apples and pears are ready for harvesting and surplus fruits can be wrapped in paper and layered in a cardboard box or crate to be stored away from sunlight, or placed in a fridge for future use. Mowing grass underneath fruit trees makes it easier to spot and pick up windfalls. Pick autumn cropping raspberries and blackberries on a dry day so the berries aren't wet and prone to rotting.

Sow greens such as kale, spinach, mustard and lettuce for late autumn and winter harvest, preferably in a sheltered spot. Cover brassicas with netting to prevent the birds eating your crops before you!

Keep a lookout for pests and diseases - mould and fungus can be a particular issue at this time of year - and treat accordingly. Rosemary beetles are prevalent so check your lavender and rosemary and pick off any unwanted guests.

Even when you fancy a sit down with a cuppa, you can turn your attention to ordering spring flowering bulbs - crocus, hyacinth, daffodil, fritallaria, bluebells - for planting next month, as well as trees, shrubs and fruit bushes.

For fragrant indoor flowers at Christmas pot up prepared narcissi and hyacinth bulbs. Placing the pots in a dark room and excluding light will force the bulbs to start growing.

Plan ahead into next year by taking notes of what does and doesn't work in your garden - I use a Gardener's Journal - and sketches or photos of borders can be really useful.

As always there is lots to do - 'A garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever' quote by Richard Briers - Happy Gardening!

As last month was the wettest February the UK has experienced in the last 258 years, I’m hoping for some drier weather this month. Even so, my neighbours have been taking advantage of the break in the weather to mow their lawns, a job I’ve not got around to yet. The thought of unclogging wet grass from the mower in the drizzle is particularly unappealing to me at the moment, and so I’ve been mostly holed up in the greenhouse, planting seeds and procrastinating on the grass-cutting front. With the February sowings mostly done (chillies can require up to 120 days from germination to fruiting), I can concentrate now on the March batches. I purchased a couple of electric heat mats for the greenhouse last month to speed up germination and had a great deal of success, enabling me to push seeds through in fairly quick rotation, so definitely a worthwhile investment. 

Though temperatures are still pretty low this month, outdoor sowings can also be started. Covering the area required for planting with horticultural fleece or cloches for a couple of weeks will warm the soil to give a good head start to anything needing to be sown direct, and keeping fleece over carrots, for example, is one way to deter pests later during growth without the need for chemical use.

In the Borders

With the warming of the soil comes the emergence of the inevitable weeds! Tidying up borders, mulching and feeding is a priority at this time of year, and I generally use leaf mould collected the year before last. This adds nutrients back into the earth and suppresses any potentially germinating weed seedlings. Deadheading the Spring flowers is still beneficial as they should keep going for a couple of months. If pansies or viola have got a bit leggy, they can be nipped out to any new growth at the base and fed which will give them a new flush of flowers on a more compact plant. Summer flower seeds can be sown now, if you haven’t started Pelargonium yet, this is the last month to do this, but Cosmos, Arum lily, Nasturtiums and Sunflowers are all good to go. I picked up a lovely Zinnia variety called Cherry Profusion which is really eye catching, and as they are drought tolerant, don’t require too much looking after once established.

Forced bulbs, like hyacinths which were flowering over December or January can be planted outside, as can summer bulbs such as gladioli and lilies. Daffodils can be deadheaded, but leaves should be allowed to die back naturally. Snowdrops can be lifted, split and replanted while they are still green to encourage them to naturalise in other parts of the garden. Cornus and salix can be pruned. And yes. Lawns should be given a high cut...

In the Veg Patch

If you have been able to warm the soil, some outdoor crops can be sown this month, carrots, parsnips, spinach, onions and shallots, for example. While onions and shallots can be bought as sets, I’ve grown mine from seed because I wanted specific varieties. Shallot ‘Simiane’ is a sweet banana shallot, and not available in sets, so I started these last month in the greenhouse.

As mentioned previously, it’s worth keeping fleece over these to avoid pests, such as carrot or onion fly. Another tip is to try ‘Companion Planting’. Spring onions grown in between carrots can also help to deter pests by disguising the carrot smell, for example. I also grow basil in with the tomatoes as the strong scent deters aphids, so herb sowing is another priority for me at this time, and looking forward to trying the lemon coriander I’ve managed to get hold of!

And finally, potatoes can be planted! These have been chitting away since the beginning of last month, though they may still need protection from the odd frost. In an effort to reduce plastic use, I’m going all out on the potato bags this year! Also handily mobile and reusable and negating the need for back-breaking digging of trenches! Winner!

Happy gardening

Sara