Here is our comprehensive garden task list for gardens in the greater DC metro region for September courtesy of Washington Gardener Magazine. Your additions to this list are most welcome:
- Cover pond with netting to keep out fallen leaves and debris.
- Harvest sweet potatoes.
- Plant garlic.
- Force the buds on Christmas Cactus by placing in a cool (55-60 degree) room and 13 hours of darkness.
- Apply deer deterrent spray.
- Prevent the spread of disease by cleaning up all infected plants and disposing of them in the trash — not your compost pile.
- Plant cover crops in your vegetable gardens and annual beds (i.e. rye, clover, hairy vetch, winter peas).
- Set-up a cold frame, then plant lettuces, radishes, and carrots from seed.
- If you have a water garden, clean out the annual plants and compost them. Cut back the submerged hardy plants and group them to the deepest pond section.
- Leave seedheads on black-eyed susans, echinacea, goldenrod, sunflowers, and thistles for the birds to enjoy over the winter.
- Check for bagworms, pick off, bag, and dispose of them.
- Dig up and store potatoes in a cool, dark spot.
- Continue to divide and transplant perennials.
- Rake leaves and gather in compost piles.
- Pick apples at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.
- Visit your local Meadows Farms pumpkin patch
- Cut garden herbs and hang to dry in cool, dry place indoors. Learn more…
- Start feeding birds to get them in the habit for this winter.
- Attend a local garden club meeting.
- Mulch strawberry beds for winter.
- Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.
- Plant evergreens for winter interest.
- Weed.
- Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
- Collect dried flowers and grasses for an indoor vase.
- Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.
- Lightly fertilize indoor plants.
- Pot up Paper Whites and Amaryllis for holiday blooming.
- Check that all vines are securely tied for winter’s cold winds.
- Collect plant seeds for next year’s planting and for trading. Carefully label them & store in a dry location.
- Pull out spent summer annuals.
- Plant mums and fall season annuals. Click here fpr some great container garden ideas for fall.
- Water evergreens and new plantings to keep them hydrated this winter.
- Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed.
- Dig up bulbs from your Gladiolus, cut off foliage, dry for a week, and then store for the winter.
- Transplant trees and shrubs.
- Keep an eye out for the first frost date and insulate plants as needed. In Zone 6, it is expected between October 17-
- November 5 and in Zone 7 it is predicted between October 22- November 15