September Garden Checklist

As summer gives way to autumn, it's time to enjoy the last of the season’s warmth while preparing your garden for the cooler months ahead.

The days are still long enough for productive sessions in the garden - and there’s plenty to do to keep things flourishing well into autumn.

Watering and Weeding:

• Keep watering as needed, especially for late-season crops and containers, but reduce frequency as temperatures drop.
  

• Weeding is still important - especially around newly planted areas and in the kitchen garden. A Weed Control Fabric from Knowle Nets can help keep beds clear and reduce maintenance time.
  

• Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and suppress weeds going into autumn.

Lawns:

• Now is the ideal time to repair and reseed tired areas of lawn.
  

• Scarify, aerate, and feed with an autumn lawn fertiliser to build root strength before winter.
  

• Use Bird Netting over newly seeded patches to protect from hungry visitors.

Flower Garden

• Continue deadheading to encourage the last blooms.
  

• Start planting spring-flowering bulbs - try a bulb basket to make it easy to lift bulbs after flowering and cover with wire net to deter squirrels who may be keen to dig them up.
  

• Divide perennials like hostas and day lilies for healthier growth next year.
  

• Cut back faded perennials and remove annuals that have finished flowering.

Vegetable Garden:

• Harvest crops like squash, courgettes, and tomatoes regularly.
  

• Start lifting maincrop potatoes and storing them in a cool, dry place.
  

• Sow autumn salads, spinach, and overwintering onions.
  

• Cover vulnerable crops with Micromesh Netting or Fleece Tunnels to keep out pests and provide some warmth.
  

• Use a Crop Cage to protect brassicas from pigeons as they mature.

Fruit Garden:

• Pick apples, pears, plums, and late raspberries as they ripen.
  

• Net fruit trees and bushes with Soft Fruit Netting to protect your harvest while letting light and air through

• Prune stone fruits (plums, cherries) now, before leaf fall.
  

• Collect fallen fruit to prevent disease and pests.

Greenhouse:

• Remove spent plants and clean the space ready for overwintering crops.
  

• Continue ventilating on warm days but start to reduce watering.
  

• Start sowing winter lettuces, herbs, and salad leaves under cover - a heated propagator will help get them off to a good start.

• Use Shading Net on sunny days and Insulating Fleece overnight as temperatures drop.

Wildlife and Pond:

• Keep water topped up in ponds and birdbaths.
  

• Install a Pond Net to stop autumn leaves collecting in the water.
  

• Leave seed heads on some plants as a food source for birds.
  

• Clean and refill bird feeders - high-energy foods help birds build up reserves for winter.

Other Jobs:

• Clear out and clean your water butts - September showers are coming!
  

• Turn compost and add fresh green waste - if you’re short of space a Rollmix Composter or Composting Sacks are a great option.
  

• Begin planning your winter and spring displays -  order bulbs and seeds now.
  

• Check stakes and plant supports ahead of autumn winds -  Knowle Nets’ Plant Supports can provide reliable protection from damage.
  

Enjoy the changing light and colours in your September garden -  there’s a calm satisfaction in this seasonal shift and plenty to enjoy as the garden gradually winds down for the year.