September is a swing month in the garden, since summer has not completely left us and fall days are just around the corner. We are hoping for more favorable weather in the coming months, and a little rain would be great! Here are a few things that you can do this month to help keep your gardening juices flowing.

Vegetables

I’ve listed a few delicious vegetables that can be sown or transplanted, for a fall and winter harvest. You may want to wait a couple of weeks for milder weather.

• Choose your plants—beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, swiss chard, collards, kale, garlic, lettuce, parsley, English peas, radish, spinach and turnips.
• To help with germination—try soaking beets, swiss chard and spinach seeds in cool water for several hours before sowing. You may also consider starting them indoors where it’s cooler. Just place them in a sunny window. Sow into 3” pots with a high quality potting mix for starting seeds.
• Water regularly—to promote germination and seed growth. You can use drip irrigation to minimize waste and accurately place water right down the row where water is most needed. This targeted watering will also reduce weed seed germination between rows.
• Don’t forget mulch—place a thick layer of mulch between rows and around transplants to keep soil cooler, reduce evaporation and reduce weeds.
• Keep your summer plants productive—harvest them frequently, and add a little nitrogen to give them one last productive push for a fall harvest.