September Gardening: I’ve Mostly Given Up on This Year

September is usually the month when I start thinking about how to extend the garden a little longer and what needs to be done before winter.

This year, I am mostly thinking about how to put it out of its misery.

My yard and garden have both been challenging.

The yard problem turned out to be the aspen tree we planted more than 20 years ago. New shoots were appearing all over the lawn, while other patches of grass were turning brown or dying. The tree itself was not looking particularly healthy either, so I finally had it removed.

That solved one problem and revealed another.

Underneath the lawn is apparently an underground aspen transportation system.

Roots are everywhere.

I have no particularly good idea yet how much of that needs to come out or what happens next, but at least I now understand why parts of the lawn have been struggling.

The vegetable garden has been even less cooperative.

Early heat was followed by cold, followed by heat again. A lot of the things I planted early either failed to germinate or never recovered enough to produce much. Some finally started growing in late May or June, but by then they were already well behind.

Squash was mostly nonexistent except for the pattypan, which has produced fairly well despite the fact that I do not remember planting nearly that many seeds.

Bell peppers have been few and far between.

Eggplants produced some very nice plants and apparently decided that was their entire responsibility.

Green beans, both pole and bush, did almost nothing.

Tomatoes are still trying, but production is much lighter than last year.

And I have pretty much given up on carrots, onions and beets as a poor return on both effort and optimism.

Not everything failed.

The herbs apparently missed the memo.

Parsley, thyme, chives and basil have all done well enough that we have given away several pots to friends.

And then there are the fruit trees.

Last year we had bushels of peaches and about 13 apples.

This year we have only a few peaches and what appears to be every apple the tree has ever considered producing.

So there will be lots of applesauce.

What September Is Supposed to Be About

The formal September gardening lists contain plenty of things that could be done.

• Plant fall annuals.
• Start lettuce and other cool-season crops.
• Refresh mulch.
• Divide perennials.
• Plant cover crops.
• Aerate and fertilize the lawn.
• Save seeds.
• Preserve the harvest.
• Prepare the soil for fall planting.

All of that is perfectly reasonable advice.

I am just not doing most of it.

At this point, my September gardening plan is considerably less ambitious.

Pick What Is Still Worth Picking

Anything that is still producing gets harvested.

Tomatoes will keep coming as long as they feel like it. Apples clearly need no encouragement. Herbs are still useful and worth keeping up with.

Most everything else is being judged rather harshly.

If a plant is finished, it comes out.

If it has spent the last several months looking healthy while producing absolutely nothing, it probably comes out too.

There is a point where patience becomes denial.

Dry the Herbs

Because the herbs were one of the successes this year, I am trying not to waste them.

Some will be dried. Some basil may get turned into pesto and frozen. The rest will be used fresh as long as possible. The general September advice about preserving herbs actually fits what I am doing this year better than most of the other recommendations.

This is also one of the easier garden chores.

Clip them. Dry them. Put them away.

No heroic effort required.

Start Fixing the Raised Bed

The raised bed did not perform well this year either.

I have ignored cover crops in the past, but I may experiment with one now to improve the soil. At minimum, I need to add organic material and do something to restore what has become tired dirt.

I also have lots of pots and will save most of the dirt in large containers that I will store for next year. Before using it again, I need to mix in compost or something similar to replenish the organic matter.

That may be the most useful gardening I do this fall: not trying to squeeze a few more vegetables out of a bad year, but improving the soil so next year has a better chance.

Remove What Is Done

There is something satisfying about finally pulling plants that have disappointed you for months.

The green beans have had enough opportunities.

So have the eggplants.

Some of the squash never really got started.

September becomes less about encouraging them and more about clearing space.

This is also the time to get after weeds before they go to seed, although I admit my enthusiasm for that particular chore has not increased just because it is September.

Put Things Away

Eventually the garden starts to become less about growing things and more about putting things away.

Tools get cleaned.
Pots get emptied.
upports come down.
Hoses get dealt with.
Whatever soil, fertilizer and amendments are worth saving get stored for next year.

The formal gardening advice recommends cleaning and sharpening tools before winter, which is one of those jobs I fully agree should be done. Whether it gets done quite as thoroughly as recommended may be another question.

I’m Not Optimistic About October

Usually there is still some sense in September that the garden season has a little life left.

This year, not so much.

I am not planning a fall salad garden.

I am not particularly interested in squeezing in another crop.

I am not looking forward to October and November as some exciting extension of the growing season.

Mostly I am harvesting what is left, removing what is finished, drying the herbs, working a little on the raised bed and getting things put away.

That is probably enough.

Gardening is one of those activities where the calendar tells you what should be happening and the garden frequently has other ideas.

This year, the garden won.

Or perhaps more accurately, the weather did.

Either way, September has become less about extending the season and more about admitting what did not work, salvaging what did, and giving next year a better chance. And after this year, I am surprisingly comfortable with that