Kitchen garden calendar - September

Sowing in open ground

September marks end of summer and start of autumn. Summer’s plentiful harvests continue to abound; time to make some reserves — why not preserves that, simply by closing your eyes, will transport you back to gentle atmosphere of the summer months…

Before any sowing, my advice is to lightly scratch soil surface using a hand rake to refresh it where you plan to sow your winter and spring vegetables.

These are:

• Winter lettuce, such as winter lettuce ‘Bourguignonne’ or ‘Val d’Orge’. They like warm autumn soil and resist cold; however, equip yourself with a cloche or fleece in case temperatures drop below 0 °C
• Winter carrot, short or half-short like the Chantenay Carrot, very hardy and suited to heavy soil; cover with fine sand at sowing
• Radish, sow on same rank and at same time as your carrots, so thinning will occur naturally
• Yellow, red or white onion such as Blanc de Rebouillon, which is more cold-resistant and earlier
• Lamb’s lettuce (mâche), such as Ronde Maraîchère, well known for strong productivity and rapid growth. You can sow it among radishes, spinach, escarole…
• Spinach, variety Géant d’hiver organic, very hardy and productive, for a harvest leaf by leaf from November onwards. Personally, as I never sow all my seeds, I use remainder of packet as green cover; it works the same way. It fixes nitrogen from air and returns it to soil after winter, while covering it
• Winter turnip, opt for Turnip de Nancy, also called late-season turnip, keeps until March
• Cabbage (round) and cauliflower, such as variety ‘All the year round’
• Oregano, chervil, sage
• Parsley curly dark-green for its cold resistance. September is last date for sowing parsley

Sow winter carrots

At this time of year, soil is still warm and allows good germination. However, if Indian summer does not arrive and your soil has cooled, help germination by soaking your seeds for 24 hours in water to soften their coat before sowing.

Vegetables to plant in the vegetable patch

In September, it’s a good time to plant :

• Onions, yellow such as my favourite Globo, or red such as Rouge pâle de Niort
• Garlic

Note: strictly observe a five-year crop rotation before planting

• Strawberry plants, in rich soil well amended with well-rotted compost. Choose variety ‘Guariguette’ (non-perpetual) or ‘Mariguette’ (perpetual)
• Late-season lettuces: butterhead, batavia, romaine…
• Winter lettuces, if an early frost is forecast, provide a fleece to protect them
• Spring cabbages, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, round-headed and pointed cabbages…
• Wild chicories, curly endives, escaroles. You can also transplant them
• Herbs such as thyme, wild thyme, oregano… To allow good root development over winter, and therefore more vigorous growth in spring

Renew your strawberry patch

Vegetables to prune

Pruning again! Pruning is the best solution to prevent your young plants from exhausting themselves producing branching that will not bear fruit. By cutting back these outgrowths, you allow your young plant to concentrate its energy where it is needed, thus obtaining more attractive fruits and vegetables. In September, it is important to prune new branching on vegetables that continue to produce, to your great pleasure.

C’est le cas pour :

• Aubergines,

Cut tops above second cluster on main stem and remove suckers emerging from base

• Tomatoes,

At this time of year, pruning is more severe. Indeed, we are approaching end of season: flowers, green tomatoes and last small fruits will not reach ripeness, so remove them. Also remove leaves that shade tomatoes

• Melons,

Remove shoots that do not flower above 3^rd leaf and watch for powdery mildew

• Basil, gherkins, summer squashes, cucumbers,

Pinch stems to help young plants branch

• Herbs,

Cut right down to ground level to stimulate summer regrowth; by cutting flowers you give herbs more flavour, in a way offering them a new lease of life!

Cut herbs such as chives back to base

In September, in the vegetable garden, it's also a good time to...

• Continue harvesting summer vegetables (courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes, aubergines, onions, peppers, gherkins, artichokes, early melons, green beans, peas, celeriac and branch, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes), stop watering them to speed ripening
• Begin harvest of autumn vegetables (pumpkins, pattypans, squashes, cabbages, rocket, lettuces…)
• Harvest potatoes and store in a cool, airy and dark place for better preservation. Follow all our advice to successfully grow potatoes

Potatoes are ready to be stored… and enjoyed!

• Ripen tomatoes, peppers, cucurbits and chillies in a sheltered sunny spot, for example on a windowsill
• If you have pumpkins ripening, lift them off the soil by slipping a tile or small board underneath so they don’t rot
• Dry herbs such as lemon balm, tarragon, summer savoury, thyme…
• Mound soil around leeks up to base of first leaves
• Keep weeding regularly. Heavier September rain and dew will encourage weed growth
• Watch for pests such as flea beetle, cabbage white, slugs, flies… and protect your crops with our tunnels or protective nets
• And prevent diseases such as late blight or powdery mildew on tomato and potato using our 100% organic remedies, such as Bordeaux mixture or nettle manure
• Thin out and transplant seedlings sown in previous weeks
• Ventilate cold frames, tunnels and other shelters
• Follow lunar calendars, or not: discover Ingrid’s passionate stance on the subject

Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

please note

This sowing calendar is provided as a guide. Bear in mind that sowing, transplanting, planting and harvest periods may occur earlier or later depending on region and weather. Different varieties of the same vegetable plant can also provide earlier or later harvests.

You can refer to our map to find which climate zone applies to your area.

Before sowing or planting your vegetables and herbs, check the weather and consult the forecast for the coming days!