September Gardening & Seasonal Eating Guide for Zone 9

Here in Central California Zone 9 we are so fortunate because you can garden and harvest every month of the year! I’m a life-long gardener sharing tips I’ve learned myself as well as generational knowledge passed down to help get you ready to grow!

What To Plant This Month:

By the end of this month nurseries and garden centers will be in full swing for fall planting! If you didn't already order fall seeds in or get your cool weather garden plan figured out, you still have time to lock it in! Plan to start direct sowing seeds in the later half of the month and plant nursery starts around the first week of October. Seed starting indoors for transplant can start asap!

At the same time, late in the month, your summer crops should be getting about read to pull out. Corn will be done, tomato plants will be mostly done, pepper plants, even summer squash like zucchini will be dwindling by months end. This will give you lots of space for fall planting!

Don't forget - your fall seedlings will need consistent water and protection from the heat! Consider creating a shade structure for them till cooler weather sets in.

While you're planning for fall veggies don't forget about flowers! Fall is the season for pansy, viola, snapdragon, cyclamen and chrysanthemum, all of which come in a stunning range of colors! Flowers that grow from bulb like tulips and ranunculus can also be planted now for a beautiful display next spring!

Popular Fall Plantings:

• Kale

• Cabbage

• Broccoli

• Carrots - cold weather carrots tend to be sweeter than those grown in summer!

• Parsnips

• Brussel Sprouts

• Cauliflower

• Sugar Snap peas (I'm planting a mix of green, yellow and purple varieties from seed!)

• Lettuce

• Other leafy greens like Spinach and Arugula

• Spinach

• Chard

• Leek

• Bok Choy

• Radish

I recommend checking out Baker Creek Seeds and Johnny's Select for seeds!

Gardening Tasks:

              There's always plenty to do in the garden! This list is designed to help put focus on tasks that are best completed in a timely manner to set you up for success in the coming growing season.

• Remove summer annuals that are through producing like tomato, corn, summer squash, ect

• Check Pumpkin/winter squash plants - they should be ready to harvest this month or next month. Usually color and size is a good indication. Bring them into the pantry and remove plants for fall planting

• Top up cleared veggie beds with extra mulch (I personally like GroMulch from Kelloggs) and compost or aged manure)

• The transition time between summer crops and fall crops gives you a chance to make big changes! This is a good time to add garden beds, setup new watering systems, add/remove/move big trellis's or other supports.

• Remove annual flowers and trim back or deadhead remaining perennials

• Consider adding trees, shrubs or permanent perennial plantings to your landscape. This is the best time to plant them so they wake up in spring ready to go. Read more about this here! Be sure to water consistently through fall till winter rains begin!

• Get your gardening journal out or just snap a few pics of the garden! Take note of which plants did well for you this year and what needs changing for next springs plan. Maybe you planted something where it didn't get enough sun, or planted your tomato too close together (guilty!), or planted too much of something that you want to scale back on next year.

• Harvest, harvest, harvest! Warm season crops are on the way out, gather up as much goodness as you can!

  • Dry large bundles of herbs to dry and store in the pantry for winter

  • Use up large harvests for preservations projects like pickling cucumbers and making jam with fruits! I've started making simple syrups from excess fruit to make extra flavorful teas and lemonades!

• Remember to work in your garden in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the heat! Stay safe!

What’s In Season?:

What produce you can expect to harvest from your garden or find at the local farmers markets this month. Seasonal eating means focusing on sourcing produce that’s being freshly harvested in your area, rather than imported from tropical areas overseas or that’s been sitting in cold storage for months on end. An easy way to get an understanding of these fresh items is to visit your local farmers market, even just 1-2 times a month and purchase your produce there rather than at the grocery store, this not only provides you and your family with greater nutritional benefit due to the freshness of the items but it also supports local agriculture and small businesses. Check out my Farm Map by Clicking Here!

September is the last month to soak in the last of sweet summer flavors! Savor the fresh ripe fruits while you can and save some for the rest of the year! This month we see the first few samplings of Autumn flavor!

• Some Early-Season Apples!

  • I recommend keeping an eye on you-pick farms. We really enjoy visiting Lucky-You Orchards for cider and apple picking! They tend to open for the season the first week of the month

• Pears

• Pumpkin and other winter storage type squash like Butternut , Delicate and Acorn

• Tender leafy greens like spinach, lettuce, green sprouts, and radishes

•  Herbs such as chives, basil, epazote, oregano, rosemary, mint and more.

• Edible Pansy and Viola Flowers

• Sweet Potato

• Figs

• Cranberry

• Avocado

• Carrots

• Savor the last of summer tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers and green beans!

  

Tips for Incorporating Fresh Ingredients in your everyday meals

As gardeners its extra painful to watch food go to waste but its very easy to get overwhelmed by the bucketloads of fresh zucchini, tomatoes or whatever else you're hauling into the kitchen this time of year! Here are some ways we use up the excess!

• Don't think salad season is over! Top fall salads with pear slices, apple slices, fresh cheeses and honey drizzles!

• Use Edible flowers to garnish salads, drinks or freeze into ice cubes for creative hidden garnish!

• Get creative! Lots of zucchini? grate it all up and make several zucchini bread loaves! Enjoy the moist cakey loaves fresh, gift them to friends or even freeze them to reheat later!

• Turn fruit into jams, jellies, pies or other baked treats!

  • Freeze it for smoothies! Here's our favorite smoothie recipe!

• WE ARE ENTERING PIE SEASON! Apple Pie, Pumpkin pie, ect

• Serve it fresh! Remember that not everything you harvest needs to be turned into something else! Don't overcomplicate it!

  • Top breakfast oatmeal with fig or apple slices, a dollop of peanut butter and dash of maple syrup!

  • Add sliced fruit as a side to any lunch or dinner plate! Not just for the kiddos!

• Freeze cubes of extra sauce, salsa or paste to use during the off season!

  • Last year i even started tossing whole tomatoes into freezer bags which I took out later to thaw and make sauce with.

• Try new recipes! I often google 'Recipes to use up ____" to find lots of unique recipes i might otherwise not!

• One dish my husband and I cannot get enough of is this Skillet Sausage/Veggie Bowl with corn, bell pepper and zucchini topped with salsa and cilantro! Its delicious and filling without the 'heavy' full dinner feeling due to all the fresh ingredients. Click here for the Recipe!

What are you working on or cooking up this month?! Comment below!