Recommended Tasks and Hints for September

• Sow Hardy Annuals. They can be planted out in the Spring after spending the winter in a cold greenhouse or cold frame.

• Weeding. Keep on top of the weeds - don’t let them set seed and spread.

• Mulch bare soil. After harvesting various crops cover the resulting bare soil with a 3 - 5 cm layer of mulch to improve the soil structure. Spent mushroom compost, garden compost, green waste all work well. No need to dig it in the worms will pull it into the soil.

• Prune Blackberries. When blackberries have finished cropping remove the fruited stems at the base. The remaining canes grow this year and will produce next year’s fruit. Tie them in to support.

• Clip evergreen hedges. A final clip will leave the outline crisp and at their best during the winter months.

• Sow salad. Salads to and crop in the winter/spring can be sown now for growing under cover in a cold greenhouse or under fleece outdoors.

• Remove fruits that have brown rot. Apples that have been pecked by birds turn brown. Remove affected fruit as the problem can spread to other fruit.