September Planting Guide by Zone
Click on your Zone for details.
Zones 1 – 4
Plant
- Even with a short season, there are still opportunities to plant – both for the near future and next spring.
- Spinach and kale should be planted now with some weather protection, like a row cover, low tunnel, cold frames, or greenhouse, for harvesting in the upcoming months. Weather protection will also help them go dormant and survive the winter, giving you a lovely spring harvest of nutritious freshly grown greens when your body craves them the most. Corn salad, lettuce, peas, collard greens, mustard greens, carrots, Pak Choi, and other cabbages are examples of growing in an unheated but protected environment.
- Garlic should go in as soon as possible, giving it time to become established and have resources to overwinter. The sooner you can get it in, the hardier and stronger it will be, rewarding you with larger bulbs next spring.
- Sow wildflower seeds where you want gorgeous color and pollinators to visit next year, scratching them into the surface of the soil to minimize wildlife from snacking on them. Do the same with hardy annuals, such as poppies, nigella, and cornflower.
- They will acclimate over the winter, sprouting when the time is right next spring without any extra work!
Harvest
- September is the month of harvest. You should be harvesting everything in your garden now; otherwise, the frost will kill your crops. Make sure you are aware of the frost dates in your area and stay ahead of them.
- Harvest and save your green tomatoes – when the frost hits, it’ll kill them as well. You can bring them indoors, wrap them up in newspaper, store them in a cool location, and still enjoy tomatoes after the frost. If you have the space, pull the entire tomato plant up by the roots and hang it upside down in a room that is at least 60°F with a stable temperature. The tomatoes will ripen on the vine and give you homegrown tomato taste after the freeze sets in.
- Harvest your onions – before storing them, cure them to prevent the skins from being damaged and allowing rot to form. Harvest by giving the bulb a twist before pulling and leaving them outdoors on top of the soil for approximately a week if it won’t frost, or inside on newspaper in a room with stable temperature and good ventilation. The outer layer will have time to toughen up and not get damaged as easily.
Cover and Feed
- Clean and organize your garden for next season. Start by removing any leaves, dead plants, or plant debris from your garden beds, reducing the risk of attracting pests to your soil. Make sure to throw away diseased plants and don’t compost them, to avoid potentially damaging your soil next season. Next, spread your aged, well-rotted compost over the garden at least two inches deep after harvesting and cleaning it.
- Clean, inspect, and repair your cold frames and greenhouses as needed. A little preparation now will save you critical time when the weather is colder later.
- Start your next batch of compost. As long as you are gardening, you should be feeding the soil that feeds you. Add all of the old plants from your garden (as long as they’re healthy), any leaves you’ve raked up, and your left-over lawn clippings. Toss them all together in a bin or pile and begin forming your compost for use in your garden next spring.
- Protect your garden soil with some sort of covering – whether that is 2 – 3 inches of compost, mulch, or wood chips, or sowing a quick-growing cover crop like our Garden Cover Up Mix, which gives great coverage in as little as 30 days. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but covering your soil protects the soil organisms and minimizes nutrient losses from snow or rain. Cover crops have the added benefit of improving your soil over the winter without you lifting a finger!
Zones 5 – 6
Plant
- Garlic should go in as soon as possible, giving it time to become established and have resources to overwinter. The sooner you can get it in, the hardier and stronger it will be, rewarding you with larger bulbs next spring.
- If you want the best spring onions, plant seeds now to overwinter and finish growing when the weather warms up next spring. They need 4 – 5 leaves before the frost hits to store enough energy when they go dormant. Just before the frost, mulch heavily with straw about 8 – 10 inches deep.
- You have the choice of growing a winter salad with row covers, low tunnels, cold frames, or an unheated greenhouse. With a little preparation now, you can satisfy your cravings for fresh green vegetables once the cold arrives. Spinach, kale, corn salad, lettuce, peas, collard greens, mustard greens, carrots, Pak Choi, and other cabbages are examples of vegetables that can be grown in an unheated but protected environment.
- Sow wildflower seeds where you want gorgeous color and pollinators to visit next year, scratching them into the surface of the soil to minimize wildlife from snacking on them. Do the same with hardy annuals, such as poppies, nigella, and cornflower.
- They will acclimate over the winter, sprouting when the time is right next spring without any extra work!
Harvest
- September is also harvest month for your Zones. You should be harvesting everything as it ripens in your garden now. Make sure you know your first frost dates in your area and stay ahead of them so the first frost won’t take you by surprise and kill your crops and your last harvest.
- Depending on when your first frost is expected, you might start harvesting your green tomatoes. You can bring them indoors, wrap them in newspaper, store them in a cool location, and still enjoy tomatoes after the frost. If you have the space, pull the entire tomato plant up by the roots and hang it upside down in a room that is at least 60°F and stable. The tomatoes will ripen on the vine and give you a homegrown tomato taste after the freeze sets in.
- Keep a close eye on your onions, as they should be ready for harvest, or almost so. Before storing them, cure them to keep the skins from being damaged and allowing rot to form. Harvest by giving the bulb a twist before pulling and leave them outdoors right on top of the soil for approximately a week if it won’t frost, or inside on newspaper in a room with stable temperature and good ventilation. The outer layer will have time to toughen up and not get damaged as easily.
Cover and Feed
- As you harvest, clean up your garden beds and organize your garden as you go. Once bed space opens up, remove any leaves, dead plants, or plant debris, reducing the risk of attracting pests to your soil. Make sure to throw away diseased plants and don’t compost them, to avoid potentially damaging your soil next season. Next, spread your aged, well-rotted compost over the open spots at least two inches deep after harvesting and cleaning it.
- You should have enough time to protect and feed your garden’s soil with a fall-planted cover crop mix, like our quick-growing Garden Cover Up Mix, which gives great coverage in as little as 30 days. Another alternative to protect your garden soil is to use some sort of covering – whether that is 2 – 3 inches of compost, mulch, or wood chips. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but covering your soil protects the soil organisms and minimizes nutrient losses from snow or rain. Cover crops have the added benefit of improving your soil over the winter without you lifting a finger!
- Towards the end of the month, take some time to clean, inspect, and repair your cold frames and greenhouses as needed. A little preparation now will save you critical time when the weather is colder later.
- It’s always the right time to start your next batch of compost. As long as you are gardening, you should be feeding the soil that feeds you. Add all of the old plants from your garden (as long as they’re healthy), any leaves that you’ve raked up, and your left-over lawn clippings, toss them all together in a bin or pile and begin forming your compost for use in your garden next spring.
Zones 7 – 8
Plant
- Edible Chrysanthemum prefers cooler weather, and is easy and fast-growing, giving you some late-season color and delicious greens. Sow wildflower seeds where you want gorgeous color and pollinators to visit next year, scratching them into the surface of the soil to minimize wildlife from snacking on them. Do the same with hardy annuals, such as poppies, nigella, and cornflower.
- They will acclimate over the winter, sprouting when the time is right next spring without any extra work!
- Garlic should go in at the end of the month, giving it plenty of time to become established and have resources to overwinter. Planting it in late September or early October rewards you with larger bulbs next spring.
- If you want the best spring onions, plant seeds from now to early October to overwinter and finish growing when the weather warms up next spring. They need 4 – 5 leaves before the frost hits to store enough energy when they go dormant. Just before the frost, mulch heavily with straw about 8 – 10 inches deep.
- You have time to start growing a winter salad in containers or in beds, possibly giving you a first harvest before the frost arrives. A week or two before your first expected frost, protect them with row covers, low tunnels, and cold frames. Satisfy your cravings for fresh green vegetables once the cold arrives with a little preparation now. Spinach, kale, corn salad, lettuce, peas, collard greens, mustard greens, carrots, Pak Choi, and other cabbages are examples of growing in an unheated but protected environment. Most salad greens prefer cooler weather.
Harvest
- Harvest your August-planted lettuces – it could be your last shot at enjoying a full garden salad before the frost hits. Make the most of your lettuce production.
- Continue harvesting everything as it ripens in your garden now. The average first frost date for your Zones is usually in October, but it may be earlier for some areas. Make sure you know your first frost dates in your area and stay ahead of them so they won’t surprise you.
- Keep a close eye on your onions, as they should be ready for harvest, or almost so. Before storing them, cure them to keep the skins from being damaged and allowing rot to form. Harvest by giving the bulb a twist before pulling and leave them outdoors right on top of the soil for approximately a week if it won’t frost, or inside on newspaper in a room with stable temperature and good ventilation. The outer layer will have time to toughen up and not get damaged as easily.
- Start freezing your sturdy culinary herbs. Harvest by snipping them loose from the stalk with shears or scissors, wash and dry thoroughly, then freeze in a freezer bag labelled with the herb and date harvested. Done properly, you’ll have an almost-fresh herb flavor well into the winter.
- Another option is to harvest, clean, wash and then dry your culinary herbs in a dehydrator for later use. Dehydrating takes a little more work upfront but saves space and makes herbs easier to use later.
Cover and Feed
- As you harvest, clean up your garden beds and organize your garden as you go. Once bed space opens up, remove any leaves, dead plants, or plant debris, reducing the risk of attracting pests to your soil. Make sure to throw away diseased plants and don’t compost them, to avoid potentially damaging your soil next season. Next, spread your aged, well-rotted compost over the open spots at least two inches deep after harvesting and cleaning it.
- Your Zones have enough time to protect and feed your garden’s soil with a fall-planted cover crop mix, like our quick-growing Garden Cover Up Mix that gives great coverage in as little as 30 days. Another alternative to protect your garden soil is to use some sort of covering – whether that is 2 – 3 inches of compost, mulch, or wood chips. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but covering your soil protects the soil organisms and minimizes nutrient losses from snow or rain. Cover crops have the added benefit of improving your soil over the winter without you lifting a finger!
- Towards the end of the month, take some time to clean, inspect, and repair your cold frames and greenhouses as needed. A little preparation now will save you critical time when the weather is colder later.
- It’s always the right time to start your next batch of compost. As long as you are gardening, you should be feeding the soil that feeds you. Add all of the old plants from your garden (as long as they’re healthy), any leaves that you’ve raked up, and your left-over lawn clippings, toss them all together in a bin or pile and begin forming your compost for use in your garden next spring.
Zones 9 – 10
Some areas in these Zones are extremely hot and dry in the summer and early fall – like Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs – so you may not have much planted during the summer months, waiting to start gardening again once things cool down a bit.
Plant
- For many gardens, September is the month to get serious about planting your garden – vegetables, flowers, and herbs that will thrive in the cooler temperatures. Start with fast-maturing varieties that will give you some fresh greens, followed by longer-season ones to sustain your harvests into the winter. Most salad greens prefer cooler weather. Spinach, kale, corn salad, lettuce, peas, collard greens, mustard greens, carrots, Pak Choi, and other cabbages are examples to start with.
- If you enjoy growing – and eating –fresh okra, plant it soon so it has enough heat to get off to a good start. This will give you abundant pods as the season cools down.
- Transplant your tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant that you’ve started indoors. Sow onion seeds now as well for a late spring crop next year.
- If you are growing garlic, vernalize it in your refrigerator for 4-6 weeks before planting to ensure good growth. The cool fridge mimics a winter chill, triggering better and stronger growth, especially in warmer winter areas.
Harvest
- Harvest your squash – both winter squash and pumpkins. Wait until the skins have toughened to where they aren’t easily damaged by a thumbnail pressed into the skin. If the skins aren’t hard enough before storage, you could develop an issue with rot.
- Continue harvesting everything as it ripens in your garden now. Most areas in these Zones have very mild winters with little to no frost with maybe a handful of nights close to freezing.
Cover and Feed
- For some areas, this is the time to begin planning and planting your garden, but don’t forget to feed your soil before planting. Covering your soil with a two-inch layer of aged compost, followed by planting a quick-growing cover crop mix like our Garden Cover Up Mix, letting it grow for 30 days, and then cutting it down will revitalize and feed your soil for the upcoming growing season.
- Now is a great time to start your next batch of compost. As long as you are gardening, you should be feeding the soil that feeds you. Compost started now can be added to your soil next spring, giving it a boost of fertility to finish out the growing season before the heat arrives.
Zone Planting Guides
Planting charts for your Zone
Zone 3
Zone 3 is the coldest and shortest of the USDA garden zones.
Zone 4
Zone 5
Zone 6
Zone 7
Zone 8
Zone 9
Zone 10
USDA Zones vs First & Last Frost Dates
Which to Use and Why
USDA Zone Maps
These guides show the lowest average temperatures recorded in the area over the past 30 years.
They are a good basis for initial planning and comparison but should not be used as the only source of information for choosing what vegetables to grow or when to plant.
The Zone information is helpful when exchanging ideas with gardeners in different zones, as it is user-friendly.
Find your USDA hardiness zone here.
Scroll using your cursor to grab and move the map, then zoom in with the + and – buttons at the top left. Once you can see your town, city, or location, click on the map to see your Zone info in a popup window.
First & Last Frost Dates Tool
This frost dates tool provides detailed and accurate information for sowing seed, transplanting, and using frost protection to extend the growing season.
It includes historical data from numerous regional NOAA weather stations to help determine the likelihood of frost in spring and fall.
Find your First and Last frost dates here.
Enter your ZIP code and scroll down to see general information and the three closest weather stations to you.