09_September

September marks the onset of autumn. at this time of year, the early crops will be coming to an end. On the other hand later crops are coming into harvest now and you should be lifting maincrop potatoes, pulling leeks, picking apples, pears and late-season plums. The season certainly isn’t over yet.

• Sow green manures
• Turn your compost heap - turn the compost heap regularly with a fork to aerate it and stimulate decomposition. water it if dry and cover to keep the heat in, this all speeds the compost production up.
• Ripen and pick tomatoes - to encourage tomatoes to fatten up and ripen remove all lower leaves from the plants and keep picking.
• Feed and trim celeriac - feed regularly with a liquid manure, remove any old, damaged leaves from around the stems
• Harvest apples and pears - check for ripeness of fruits and pick when the moment is right. Early pears can be picked while still slightly firm and then ripened indoors.

Sow or plant in September
Cabbages - transplant your spring cabbages this month or next.
Salad Crops - sow winter lettuce and further batches of rocket and land cress along with a few last minute radishes may give you a final crop before the end of the year.
Onions - plant overwintering onion sets , prepare the ground well first and add an all purpose fertiliser.
Strawberries - plant new strawberry plants, sooner they are in, the sooner they establish and therefore produce a bigger crop next year.