By David C. Zlesak, University of Minnesota Extension

As bountiful vegetable harvests and glorious flower displays continue in late summer, there are a few tasks we can do in the garden to help keep the enjoyment coming now and into next year. Cooler conditions, typical of September, offers a great opportunity to spend time out in the yard.

For some timely September gardening projects, you could:
• Plant a fall crop of fast growing, cool season vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and radishes. If your local garden center does not have seeds in stock, consider a late season order from some online seed catalogs.

• Create a fresh seasonal accent with mums, flowering kale, asters, and other fall favorites like corn stalks, squash, and gourds; all abundant at local garden centers and farmers markets.

• Plant new lawns and seed bare areas of existing lawns. This is the best time of year to seed cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass.

• Prepare for the transition of bringing houseplants that were outside for the summer back indoors. Many tropical houseplants suffer chilling injury at temperatures below 50 degrees.

• Continue to remove weeds and diseased plant materials from the garden.

• Obtain and plant spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths. Planting in September allows for good root development before winter and better quality flowers come spring.
Continue watering trees, shrubs and perennials as needed to promote a healthy root system and reduce plant stress entering winter.

(David C. Zlesak is a horticulturist with University of Minnesota Extension.)