Plant Now for an Earlier Spring
The plot is still generous, but the light is beginning to change. This week is about getting a few hardy crops established for autumn and spring, while saving some of summer’s best seed for next year.
September’s second week is a useful bridge between seasons. There is no need to clear everything at once. Keep productive beans, courgettes and tomatoes going, but use newly opened gaps for crops that prefer cooler weather. A few small jobs now can mean fresh leaves in autumn and an earlier harvest next year.
This week’s main job: plant overwintering onion sets
Choose varieties labelled for autumn planting. They will make roots before winter, pause in the cold, then start growing again early in spring.
- Pick an open, sunny patch with free-draining soil; onions dislike sitting wet.
- Plant sets about 10cm apart in rows 25–30cm apart, with just the pointed tip showing.
- Firm the soil gently and water only if it is dry.
- Cover with netting at first, as birds often pull newly planted sets from the ground.
No open ground? Plant five or six sets in a deep 30cm container with drainage holes. Pots may need moving against a sheltered wall during prolonged wet or freezing weather.
What to sow indoors or under cover
Winter lettuce
Sow a hardy variety thinly in modules in an unheated greenhouse, cold frame or bright porch. Keep compost just damp and give seedlings plenty of air.
Coriander and chervil
These herbs are less likely to bolt in cooler conditions. Sow little and often in pots for a bright windowsill or under cover.
Pea shoots
Sow ordinary dried marrowfat peas closely in a shallow tray. Keep indoors and cut the shoots when they reach roughly 10–15cm.
Spinach for protection
Start winter spinach in modules if slugs are troublesome outside. Plant it out once sturdy, or grow several plants in a wide container.
What to sow or plant outdoors
Overwintering onion sets
Plant now or over the next few weeks in well-drained ground. Label the row because small shoots are easy to lose among winter weeds.
Spring cabbage
Set out sturdy young plants about 30–45cm apart and firm them well. Net immediately against pigeons and check the undersides of leaves for caterpillars.
Corn salad and land cress
Sow shallow drills in a sheltered patch or trough. Germination may be slow in warm, dry soil, so keep the seedbed lightly moist.
Strawberry plants
Plant rooted runners while soil is warm enough for roots to establish. Keep the crown level with the soil rather than burying it.
What may be ready to harvest
Harvest dates vary with variety, sowing time and your own patch. Pick beans and courgettes regularly, and handle fruit gently so bruises do not become storage problems.
Pear tip: many pears are best picked while still firm and ripened indoors. Lift one gently and twist; if it comes away easily, it is usually ready. Store sound fruit separately from anything bruised or damaged.
Garden and allotment maintenance
- Save seed from healthy plants. Leave a few beans or peas until the pods are brown and papery. Dry the seed thoroughly before storing it.
- Check leeks carefully. Split leaves, brown trails or collapsing centres can indicate leek moth or allium leaf miner damage. Remove badly affected material rather than composting it at home.
- Remove finished blackberry canes. Cut fruited canes at ground level and tie this year’s new green canes to supports.
- Give ripening fruit more light. Remove only a few tomato leaves that shade trusses; do not strip the plant bare.
- Keep pots productive. Continue watering tomatoes, peppers and beans in containers, but reduce feed as growth slows. Empty saucers after heavy rain.
- Tidy with wildlife in mind. Remove diseased material, but leave some hollow stems and undisturbed corners for insects rather than making the whole plot spotless.
Low-cost growing tip
Make your own seed packets. Fold old envelopes or clean scrap paper into small packets, then write the crop, variety and collection date on each one. Store fully dry seed somewhere cool, dark and dry. Only save seed from healthy, open-pollinated plants if you want a good chance of similar plants next year.
A job for children
Run a seed-sorting station. Children can shell completely dry bean or pea pods, discard damaged seed and decorate the packets. Remind them that garden seed is for planting, not eating, and supervise around dusty or mouldy pods.
This week’s quick checklist
- Plant overwintering onion sets and net them against birds
- Sow a small pot of winter lettuce, herbs or pea shoots
- Plant spring cabbage and check brassica netting
- Pick apples and pears carefully; separate damaged fruit
- Save fully dry bean or pea seed from healthy plants
- Cut out fruited blackberry canes
- Keep harvesting beans and courgettes before they grow tough
Grow Your Own: Week by Week · Written for beginners in Crofton and the wider UK