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September Garden Chores

If you have root crops such as carrots, radishes and beets that are not productive, they may be too crowded and need to be thinned this month.  Snip off the tops of the extra seedlings with a pair of small scissors to avoid disturbing other plants you want to keep.

September is a good time to divide ground covers, such as ajuga, liriope, mondo grass and pachysandra.

Sow turnip seed until mid-September; sow collard seed until October 1.

If there are areas of your garden that you do not plan to use for growing crops this fall, consider planting a cover crop, such as annual rye grass or crimson clover.  Cover crops help to hold the soil in place and they will add organic matter when tilled into the soil next spring.

To decrease your pest problems next growing season, clean up your garden this fall.  Many insects and diseases can survive the winter months in plant debris, so remove spent plants from your garden as well as any rotted fruit remaining on branches or underneath fruit trees. It’s also a good idea to mow turf surrounding the garden to prevent weed seed from blowing into cultivated areas.