Out with the Old & in with the New Season

September is time for a season change, we are now coming into Autumn, which is one of my favourite seasons.

In the vegetable garden, it’s a time for change, I’m harvesting all the tomatoes, sweet peppers and mini cucumbers in the greenhouse. Clearing out the courgette & summer squash plants, ready for the sowing of new seeds, planting out seedlings and preparing the beds for the onions, shallots or garlic.

Soil Preparation for a new planting season

I’m all for the no dig method of leaving the compost on top of the soil and not digging in. However, this year due to the extreme heatwave in the UK, I’m finding that it has dried out the soil and compacted it due to there being no rain for 2 months and I fear that if I don’t dig it, nothing will grow, due to the soil being like concrete below the first 6 inches into the soil and my new Leek seedlings won’t like that.

Over the bank holiday weekend, I was trying to dig with a garden fork which confirmed the compacted soil consisting of big hard lumps of earth under the surface of the soil. We have not had much rain in the past week to move into the soil any deeper than 6 inches. Therefore I dug as far as the fork allowed and then watered the soil below this depth to be able to loosen it with the garden fork. Then whilst there is an hole, I’ve back filed it with multipurpose compost. This should give the soil a better structure, more air pockets and more nutrients for the Leek seedlings going in next weekend.

Crop Failures in August

Due to the heatwave, pests and human error, I have lost the following vegetables this year:

• Celeriac (got hidden under the squash plant and dried up),
• Potatoes (they were tiny),
• Climbing Beans (they germinated, got planted out and then died),
• Amaranth (beautiful maroon leaves, suited to hot temps but didn’t like the dry soil).

I talk about looking at things differently in my latest instagram post – “Don’t do Vegetable Gardening like this” which talks about turning failures into lessons for the future, to be able to become a better grower.

September Sowings

I bought plug plants of kale and broccoli but due to my laziness and busyness, I have left them unattended in the greenhouse, so the cabbage white butterflies have taken full advantage of my error with no netting and have laid their eggs, they turned into caterpillars and hey presto, I only have plant stems left. Now I still have a chance to sow the Black Kale, as I really wanted to eat in Winter, so I will be sowing some in early September.

My lesson here is make a cold frame covered in netting, then put the seedlings under it for next year, so they don’t succumb to the cabbage white butterflies then caterpillars.

Greenhouse sowings in Autumn

This year I really wanted to use my greenhouse to its full potential in Autumn and Winter. I want to sow carrots, beetroot (although it might be a bit late to sow them now) and winter lettuce in pots which will be kept in the greenhouse.

I also want to sow Spring Cabbage, as this did well in a 30L pot a few years ago overwinter in the greenhouse.

Raised Bed Autumn Plans

This winter I intend to use all 4 raised beds for Garlic, Shallots, Kale, Spring Cabbage, Broccoli and Leeks.

Leeks are a little small but will be planted outside in early September. Whats left of the broccoli plants will also be planted outside under netting this time.

What to Sow in September

All Septembers Posts here – Take your pick!

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And in Other News …
The Grow Veg Academy has now been launched with its 3 level Pathway of online courses.

Level 1 – Learn to Grow course is available to buy now and Level 2 – Grow with Understanding course will be out in October 2026.

There’s also some exciting new growing challenges coming early in January 2027.

Register for the Spring 30 Day Grow Veg Challenge here.

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Keep Growing, Keep fighting those pests,

Tracey

🍅☀️ SowGrowHarvest.co.uk
🌱📚 GrowVegAcademy.co.uk

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