September Gardening Tips & To-Do’s

September gardening tasks are a necessity in order to make sure that your garden is prepped for the long, cold winter months ahead. Surprisingly, while some areas of your garden are getting ready to close for the year, others are still thriving.  We put together some important to-do’s that you can do in September to make sure your garden is ready for next year and still producing before winter hits.

Plant fall vegetables

You read that right—plant fall vegetables! There are some great vegetables that handle the colder weather and have a short growth to harvest time frame. Starting a greens garden is a perfect example of fall vegetables. Lettuce, kale, arugula, swiss chard and spinach are perfect vegetables to grow during September. They don’t like growing in super-hot weather and thrive during those cooler months.  

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Give your lawn some love

September is the month you should give that lawn some much needed love. Aeration and fertilizing are ways to make sure your lawn has everything it needs to make it through the colder months ahead. It’s beneficial to add seed or sod to new lawns or to fix those bare spots in older lawns. Controlling weeds like clover and dandelion now helps make sure they don’t leach the much-needed nutrients from your grass. Give our landscaping division, City Floral Landscaping, a call and they can help if you need assistance with getting that lawn ready for winter.

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Improve that soil

Fall is a great time to improve the soil in your garden. First, remove those less than stellar vegetables and flowers. This will help prevent diseases and insects from affecting your garden next year. Then you’ll want to spread 2 – 3 inches of organic compost or manure over the surface of existing soil. Rototill or blend the compost into the top layer of your soil and rake smooth. Your garden soil will be happy next year and ready to take on those plants.

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Get Your bulbs

September is the time we start getting those much-loved flower bulbs in stock. People everywhere love to get new flower bulbs for their garden simply because they are easy-to-grow and look amazing when they bloom. Just remember that September is still a bit early to put them in the ground because of the unpredictable weather we can get here in Colorado. Bulbs like to be planted in consistently cooler soil because it helps them establish roots. So, make sure you come get them early because they will sell out fast but until it’s time to plant, just store your bulbs in a cool, dry place.

What are you doing to prepare your garden in September? Share with us on Instagram or Facebook and tag @cityfloralgardencenter or in the comments below!