What to Plant in September: Zone by Zone
Autumn is a great time to be gardening, but most people don’t make the transition from summer to fall in their gardens and are totally missing out on an amazing season of fresh vegetables. Most times, people will recommend you plant a lot of your fall vegetables in August, but you can actually still plant many delicious lettuces, root vegetables, and more in September. This will allow you to have some wonderful fresh produce from your garden during a time when pickings start to get slim. Let’s get into what you can plant in September zone by zone. Check out this interactive zone map to get a good idea of which zone you live in.
Zone 4
Those who live in zone 4 won’t have too much to plant come September, but with a little thinking ahead, you can still get some beautiful cabbages in the ground. Start them indoors in seedling pots 6 weeks before you want to plant them outside. Make sure you plant them in an area with full sun. They may need protection later in the season, so think about investing in some row or raised bed covers.
You can also get garlic in the ground for next summer’s harvest. Planting in the fall is necessary to get cloves, as the cold makes them split rather than growing into one large clove that looks like an onion.
Zone 5
For those who live in zone 5, September is a great time to plant chard, kale, lettuce, radish, and spinach, plus broccoli, cabbage, and peas from starts. Usually you’ll want to get your seedlings going in July or August so they are nice and hardy for outdoor planting come fall. Make sure you check your seed packets recommendations for exact times.
While many of these vegetables/greens are very frost hardy, some may require coverage for when frost comes, to protect them and prolong their harvest. Mini hoop houses and cold frames can be a great option for those in very chilly climates. You’ll especially want to protect your cabbage and broccoli, but all could benefit from at least some mulching.
Zone 6
For those living in zone 6, September is a great time to plant out some swiss chard, lettuce, radish, kale, and garlic, plus cabbage and broccoli if you have starts. Zone 6 is my zone, and we tend to have a nice chilly winter, so we recommend thinking about crop protection for all zone sixers out there. Think about investing in some plastic sheeting for mini hoop houses/row covers and raised bed protection.
September is also a perfect time to plant out your garlic for a good summer harvest. We recommend mulching your garlic beds to insure survival and healthy garlic come summer.
Zone 7
Hey, zone 7! When September rolls around you can plant radish, spinach, kale, lettuce, beets, kohlrabi, and swiss chard from seed, plus garlic. Most of your September sown crops should reach full maturity before your first frost, but it never hurts to keep an eye on the weather and be prepared just in case you need to put a protective cover on them.
One of the perks of living in zone 7 is that you can pretty much have a year round garden. Find good hardy vegetables that you can over winter and give it a try. Greens like kale can even be overwintered with little to no protection if the right variety is chosen.
Zone 8
For those in zone 8, go ahead and plant carrots, beets, radish, kale, lettuce, leeks, onions, turnip, and collard greens in September. Most hardy vegetables can handle the average low of 10-20 degrees that zone 8 experiences, so keep in mind that you can overwinter many of your vegetables that you plant in the fall.
Plant your carrots and onions together to decrease the chance of your carrots getting eaten by carrot root flys. The carrot root fly is drawn to the smell of carrots, but if planted with onions, the strong odor of the onions can throw the flies off the scent and keep your carrots happy and healthy.
Zone 9
Those in zone 9 experience much milder weather, so you’re able to plant a bit more out than most zones in September. Plant vegetables such as fennel, beets, radish, carrots, brussel sprouts, french beans, lettuce, onion and some squashes like patty pan.
Because zone 9 tends to be toasty, make sure your crops are staying well and evenly watered. This will help with not only the overall health of your plants, but also the flavor. Irregularly watered plants make for bitterer produce. Prioritize watering in the morning before the heat of the day comes around. Also, Make sure to water in the morning so that your plants get ample water before the midday heat.
Zone 10
As someone who lives in zone 6, zone 10 seems like year round summer to me. With the average lowest temperature only dropping to around 30 degrees, a year round garden is easy to achieve. Plant eggplant, lettuce, onion, pepper starts, kale, endive, tomatoes, leeks, sweet corn, and summer and crookneck squashes in September.
Try companion planting, as many of these veggies love to grow together. Pair peppers with eggplant, lettuce with onions, and summer squash with sweet corn. Companion planting can help with pest control and give you produce better flavor.
We hope you get some wonderful veggies in the ground this September. Your garden can provide you with some wonderful produce into the winter. You won’t regret throwing some things into the ground! Just make sure you get the chance to enjoy all of your hard work when the weather starts to turn chilly. Happy planting!
Resources
For more resources on how to grow some of these vegetables, check out the links below. Also check out our posts under homesteading for even more information on how to garden.
