Articles
September Garden Tasks
By Sue Austin


This is the fun time of the year. Beautiful cool nights and pleasantly sunny days – not too warm. And, it’s time to start thinking about any changes or additions you want to make to your garden.

This is a great time to plant spring flowering bulbs. You can store them in the crisper in a brown bag for 4-6 weeks before planting. And, a great rule of thumb is that bulbs like to be planted about 3 times as deep as the widest part of the bulb.


Try contrasting swaths of color next to one another for a beautiful display.

Now is the time to amend your soil, dig any new beds and fertilize vegetable beds. Some cool weather vegetables are beets, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, onions, spinach and lettuce, to name just a few.

You can bring your herbs in from outside in pots to extend their growing season.
Rosemary “Arp” usually will overwinter here and thyme will, too, if it’s in a protected area.

Take cuttings from annuals and root them inside to prepare for next spring.

Note: you can sterilize your pots by using a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.

And, of course, annuals that do well in early spring like pansies, snapdragon and calendula love cool fall weather as well. And, some annuals will flower again if deadheaded now, so you may get a September surprise.

Now is the time to divide over-crowded perennials that are done flowering like daylilies, iris and penstemon.

Fall is a great time to plant trees and perennials because they have time to establish themselves before our blistering summer heat arrives.

Don’t forget that the average date of the first frost in Santa Fe is October 10th – fast approaching, so be sure to harvest squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, etc. before the first frost. Pick your late fruits and freeze or can them for winter enjoyment. Be sure to clean up around fruit trees to prevent the spread of disease.

And, back to where we began in the spring – ornamental grasses. Don’t cut them back, but leave the seed heads standing for winter interest. The birds will love you and they look beautiful in the snow!