September is the start of the most intensive work in a Texas Garden. If you put the work in from September through November, your plants will happily weather winter and rejoice once spring returns.
So, roll your sleeves up, awake a little earlier, and let’s play in the dirt before the September sun arches hot and strong over our heads. Don’t forget your sunhat and iced tea!
1. Watch your weather forecast. When you’re pretty sure it’s going to rain, spread corn gluten meal over your lawn. This serves as both a fertilizer and weed deterrent.
2. Trim back perennials by atleast 1/3 to get one more bloom cycle out of them before the cold weather blows in.
3. Remove spent annuals like zinnias, marigolds, and vincas. Nourish the soil with organic compost and cover with mulch. Allow annual planted areas to rest over the winter.
4. Clear out spent vegetables in your raised beds. Fork in more compost to prepare for fall planting at the end of this month and into early October.
5. Vegetable seeds to direct sow into prepared soil include: lettuce, mixed greens, spinach, rocca, radish, and carrots.
6. Prepare a bed for brocolli, swiss chard, kale, and brussel sprout plants from your local nursery.
We are fortunate in Texas to garden almost all year around, so enjoy our privelege and get your hands dirty. Manicures can wait for the holiday season!
What vegeables will you plant this Fall?
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.