Gardening Calendar for September

During weeks 1 and 2:

• Sowing seeds of radish, lettuce, spinach and other greens in a cold frame will prolong harvests.
• Monitor plants for spider mite activity. Reduce their numbers by hosing off with a forceful spray of water.

• Cuttings of annuals can be taken now to provide vigorous plants for overwintering.
• Begin readying houseplants for winter indoors. Prune back rampant growth and protruding roots.
• Check for pests and treat if necessary. Houseplants should be brought indoors at least one month before the heat is normally turned on.
• Pinch out the top of brussels sprout plants to plump out the developing sprouts.
• Harvest herbs now to freeze or dry for winter use.
• Tie leaves around cauliflower heads when they are about the size of a golf ball.

• Perennials, especially spring bloomers, can be divided now. Enrich the soil with peat moss or compost before replanting.
• Divide peonies now. Replant in a sunny site and avoid planting deeply.
• Lift gladiolus when their leaves yellow. Cure in an airy place until dry before husking.
• Pinch off any young tomatoes that are too small to ripen. This will channel energy into ripening the remaining full-size fruits.
• It is not uncommon to see puffballs in lawn areas at this time.
• Newly seeded lawns should not be cut until they are at least 2 or 3 inches tall.

• Paw paws ripen in the woods now.
• Check all along peach tree trunks to just below soil line for gummy masses caused by borers.
• Probe holes with thin wire to puncture borers.
• Sow spinach now to overwinter under mulch for spring harvest.