As Autumn approaches, September can be a time of relative peace for gardeners. The pace slows slightly from the sense of urgency which dominated the Spring and Summer months. There is actually a little bit less to do this month as we enjoy the last of the Summer days in the garden.
Seed collecting
If you wish to, collect seeds from summer-flowering plants, storing them in labelled paper envelopes or small paper bags.
Water features
If you have a water feature or pond, cover it with netting to prevent leaves collecting and clogging the water in Autumn.
Lawns
Mow when the grass is dry enough and apply a general lawn feed which will green up your grass if needed. If you have dead patches or thatch in your lawn this can be scarified or raked out and you can spike the lawn with a garden fork to let more air to the roots of the grass. Regular mowing will also help collect the early Autumnal leaf fall.
Harvesting
Continue to enjoy the rewards of your hard work, pick your vegetables and late-fruiting raspberries and blackberries. Dig up any remaining potatoes, otherwise they will be destroyed by slugs.
Bulb Planting
While the soil is damp and warm, now is the time to plant up your spring bulbs (except tulips, which should be planted in November).
Roses
Continue to dead-head as flowers fade and tie in new shoots on climbers.
Tidying up
Fallen leaves are an important organic resource, so try not to put them all in your brown bin. You can put them in black bin bags or create a separate pile next to the compost heap to make leaf mould ready which is perfect for soil conditioning next October.
Alpington and Yelverton 