September

September is officially the end of the summer, and the beginning of the school year. If you haven’t got a vegetable garden or growing space yet, now is a perfect time to start!

To Do List

Covering your empty space.

  • Green manures are plants which help to add nutrients and fertility to your soil – these include phacelia, field beans, dwarf French beans, vetch and clovers.
  • Make a compost bin.

If you already have a vegetable garden:

There will undoubtedly be lots of weeds, so pull them out and put them in the compost (though not the weeds with seeds on them – put these in your brown bin).

If your veg garden has been looked after somewhat during the school holidays you could be harvesting some tasty crops.

You could be sowing or planting:

  • Oriental or winter salad leaves
  • Radish
  • Turnip
  • Kale

Plant out strawberry plants
they will probably stay in the same place producing lovely strawberries for 3 to 4 years so bear this in mind when choosing a place. Bearing in mind the school holidays in July and August, it would be best to plant either early varieties - (Honeyoye or Rosie or Gariguette) or perpetual varieties which should crop from mid-August to mid-October (Albion, Flamenco, Mara des Bois).

You could be harvesting:

  • Courgettes, Beetroot, French beans, Pumpkins, Chives, Spinach, Onions (planted in spring), Leeks, Tomatoes, Kale
  • Herbs
  • Apples, plums and pears
  • Berries – blueberries, blackcurrants and late maturing strawberries
  • The last of the rhubarb

Strawberry runners

These can be bought October – November or March-July. Pot grown strawberry plants are usually available from late spring and tend to be a bit more expensive.

Plant strawberry runners every 30-40cm (12 - 16") in rows spaced at 75cm (30") apart.

If you have empty space in your veg beds, cover with a cosy layer of compost, well-rotted manure, or sow an over-wintering green manure which can be dug into the soil in springtime. Covering your empty space will protect the soil from compaction and loss of nutrients through the action of winter rain. You can also simply cover with cardboard or black plastic, although be sure to weight this down.

Curriculum Resources

September Key Stage 1
PDF - 3.0 MB

September Key Stage 2
DOC - 3.6 MB