September is the month of abundance in the vegetable garden . You're still picking tomatoes, zucchini, beans, and herbs, while the first autumn vegetables are already ready. At the same time, you start sowing spinach, arugula, lamb's lettuce , and winter onions, so you can continue harvesting even during the colder months.

This September vegetable garden calendar shows you at a glance what you can still sow in September , what you can harvest and store , what you still have left in your pantry , and which perennials you can start planting now. It's an ideal practical guide for your September vegetable garden .

Legend
🏠 Indoor · 🪟 Greenhouse · 🪏 Outdoor

• 🪟🪏 Arugula (regular and winter crop) – grows quickly and loves the cool late summer. In the greenhouse, you can extend the season, and outside, you'll have tender leaves for weeks.
• 🪏 Spinach (autumn cultivation) – sow wide rows in the open ground for a robust autumn and early winter harvest. Choose varieties suitable for autumn cultivation.
• 🪟 Lamb's lettuce (cold-storage late) – sow now in the greenhouse for fresh, crisp leaves in winter. Perfect as a salad base or mixed with arugula and spinach.

Tip: Sow leafy vegetables closer together in September and harvest them young as lettuce or baby leaves. This prevents them from bolting during a warm late summer.

• 🪟 Cauliflower (greenhouse cultivation) – sow early in September for an extra early harvest in the new season. Choosing the right variety is crucial here.
• 🏠 Garden cress (sprouting vegetables) – lightning-fast results on the windowsill. Perfect for sprucing up salads or sandwiches during the months when things slow down outside.

• 🪏 Broad beans (very early crop) – in mild soil, you can sow broad beans now. They overwinter as young plants and provide an extra early harvest in spring.

Note: On heavy or very wet soil, it's best to wait until early spring. Broad beans don't like soaking wet feet in winter.

• 🪏 Spring onion (winter cultivation) – sow or plant in the open ground for fine stems in early spring.
• 🪏 Seed onions (winter cultivation) – plant winter onions in an airy, not too wet spot. They'll start off slowly and will produce an early harvest next year.

• 🪟 Parsley (autumn and winter cultivation) – parsley tolerates cold well and grows slowly. In a greenhouse, you can pick fresh sprigs almost all winter long.

Tip of the month: combine your late summer sowing of leafy vegetables and herbs with a little extra compost or leaf mulch. This keeps the soil active and prevents it from drying out as quickly during a warm late summer.

September is an excellent month for planting edible perennials . The soil is still warm, there's regular rainfall, and the plants can still establish roots well before winter. Soft fruit and strawberries, in particular, thrive now.

🍓 Strawberry plants

• Creating new beds or rejuvenating old ones.
• Plant in an airy, sunny spot and provide a layer of mulch to prevent weeds.
• Use strong, virus-free plants for a good start.

🍇 Soft fruit

• You can already plant potted raspberries, blackberries and currants.
• Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and provide good support for climbers.
• Before planting, work some compost into the topsoil for a soft start.

🍎 Fruit trees in pots

• You can plant out container-grown apple, pear, or plum trees as early as September.
• Bare-root trees should be left until later in the autumn/winter.
• Don't forget sturdy tree stakes and tree straps to prevent wind damage.

Picker's tip: plant perennials slightly higher than the surrounding soil and mulch around the base. This prevents wet feet in winter and keeps the soil active.

It's amazing what you can still get fresh from the garden in September with the right crops. This is the month when summer and fall crops overlap. Combine what's fresh now with your stock, and you can easily eat from your own garden all year round.

• 🪏 Endive (summer, autumn/winter)
• 🪏 Leek (summer/early autumn)
• 🪏 Arugula (normal cultivation)
• 🪏 Celery / Celery (summer)
• 🪏 Lettuce (summer crop)
• 🪏 Spinach (autumn)
• 🪏 Lamb's lettuce (open ground)
• 🪏 Swiss chard

• 🪏 Garlic (end of storage cultivation)
• 🪏 Fennel (early autumn / late autumn)
• 🪏 Parsnip (normal)
• 🪏 Beetroot (summer/autumn)
• 🪏 Spring onion (summer and autumn cultivation)
• 🪏 Onion / spring onion (scallion, scallion)
• 🪏 Carrot (summer crop)
• 🪏 Potatoes (mid-late varieties)

• 🪏 Eggplant
• 🪏 Pickle
• 🪏 Courgette (early and late)
• 🪏 Cucumber
• 🪏 Corn
• 🪏 Paprika
• 🪏 Pepper
• 🪏 Pumpkin
• 🪏 Tomato
• 🪏 Peas (last harvest)
• 🪏 French beans and princess beans (bush and pole)

• 🪏 Cauliflower (summer/autumn)
• 🪏 Kale (early autumn)
• 🪏 Kohlrabi (summer/autumn)
• 🪏 Turnip
• 🪏 Radish (summer/autumn)
• 🪏 Red cabbage (autumn)
• 🪏 Savoy cabbage (autumn)
• 🪏 Brussels sprouts / Brussels sprouts (summer crop)
• 🏠 Garden cress
• 🪏 White cabbage (autumn)
• 🪏 Various herbs: basil, chives, dill, tarragon, chervil, coriander, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme (often still harvested fresh).

If you've stored your vegetables well, you can draw endlessly from your September supplies, in addition to what you're harvesting now. Fresh always takes priority—we won't freeze fresh spinach if we can still pick from the garden—but a well-stocked pantry gives you peace of mind.

• Leafy vegetables – sufficient supply available in a cold greenhouse, conservatory or on the windowsill (e.g. lamb's lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard).
• Broccoli – often already frozen as florets.

• Frozen peas
• Snow peas – frozen
• Onion / onion – as a storage onion
• Garlic – as a storage crop
• Shallot – as a storage shallot
• Potatoes – as storage potatoes, stored cool and dark

• Fruit vegetables – often still in abundance in the garden in September (tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc.). Turn any leftovers into sauces, soups, or preserves.
• Herbs – some are available fresh, some are already dried (thyme, oregano, mint, tarragon, chives, dill, coriander, parsley, basil, rosemary, sage, etc.).

Tip: Dedicate one shelf in your kitchen or basement to your vegetable garden: canning jars with beans, tomato sauce, pickles, dried herbs, and frozen diced pumpkin or celeriac. This way, your gardening work remains visible and gets eaten.

September is the perfect time to sow arugula, spinach, and lamb's lettuce . If you wait too long, the plants won't get enough daylight and their growth will be stunted. Sow in batches for a longer harvest.

Is a crop no longer producing any yield? Clear it away and don't leave the bed bare . Sow a green manure or apply a layer of mulch (leaves, straw, grass clippings). This way, you protect the soil and nourish its life.

Harvesting is best done in dry weather. Let the potatoes air dry briefly (but not in direct sunlight) and then store them in a cool, dark place. Remove any damaged tubers – we'll eat those first.

Cut off new flower clusters and prune the tomato plants. This will direct energy to the fruits already hanging. If necessary, bring half-ripe fruits indoors to allow them to continue to color when nights get very cold.

Even if you sow carefully, too much often emerges. Thin them out promptly and use the removed plants as microgreens in salads. The remaining plants will then grow into sturdy rosettes.

If you want to continue harvesting in autumn and winter, prepare beds now for spinach, lamb's lettuce, and winter onions . Work in some ripe compost and clearly mark where you're going to plant what. This way, you're not sowing "in between," but truly targeted.

Check your crates of potatoes, onions, shallots, and garlic regularly. Remove any rotten or damaged ones and use any that start to sprout quickly. This prevents one rotten one from contaminating the rest.

September is the perfect time to give thyme, oregano, mint, tarragon, chives, and parsley another good trim. Dry them or freeze them in portions, so you'll still have your own herbs to enjoy with your meals this winter.

Choose a few robust plants, such as lettuce, beans, or herbs, and allow them to fully ripen. Harvest the seeds, dry them thoroughly, and store them in a cool, dark place. This way, you'll build your own seed supply, tailored to your garden.

September is the perfect time to take note of which varieties were great and which were disappointing. Briefly jot down what you'd like to do differently next year. Your future self in the spring will thank you.

In short: September is all about enjoying and preparing. You'll reap the bounty of your summer harvest while simultaneously laying the foundation for a full autumn and winter vegetable garden.