The summer is starting to give way to the shorter days of fall. September brings cooler weather and eventually seasonal rains. Don’t be tricked by a little drizzle, continue to water until the rain returns in adequate quantity.

Fall also brings leaves which are an incredibly valuable and free resource; it’s a huge waste to bag them and put them in the trash. Rake deciduous tree leaves as they fall on the lawn and use them to mulch flowerbeds for the winter or add them to the compost. Leaves can also be mulched in place with frequent mowing.

Annuals

Continue to enjoy your containers by replacing tired looking annuals with pansies, vi-olas and annual chrysanthemums. In the Sequim area, ornamental kale, cabbage and other fall favorites will often last until going to seed in spring.

Bulbs, corms, rhizomes and tubers

avor the last of your Dahlia blooms; the plants will keep blooming until the first hard frost. Now is the time to buy spring flowering bulbs, while the selection is best, to plant next month. Store them in a cool, dry place until planting.

Perennials

September is the month to start moving, dividing and adding plants to your land-scape, but wait for a cool overcast day to ease the shock. It is best to plant at least a month before the expected date of the first hard frost. A general rule is to divide, or move, herbaceous perennials that bloom in the spring/early summer, in the fall. Wait until spring to divide fall bloomers.

Houseplants

If houseplants have been moved outdoors for the summer, it’s time to bring them back inside. Check pots for pests and quarantine them to treat problems as needed.

Shrubs and trees

Shrubs and trees can be a big investment. Make sure to do a little research and choose ones that fit your space and meet your needs. A good reminder is to think about util-ity wires, roof lines, views and size when choosing a tree. Once planted, protect the investment and water them deeply until winter rains return. Plan to water all new plantings for at least a year regardless of any claim of drought resistance.

Hardwood plantings can be relocated but they are not nearly as forgiving as perennial plants. If needed, transplant deciduous shrubs after the leaves have fallen. Do not apply any fertilizer or perform any pruning to new or older plants, as it is undesirable to stimulate new growth right before winter.

Berries

As the berry season ends, it’s time to clean up well around all the berry patches. Prune out second-year raspberry and blackberry canes when they have finished fruiting. Thin the straw-berry patch, removing old or crowded plants. Apply compost/manure in fall, allowing it to break-down before spring, and later add a layer of mulch for winter protection.

Fruit trees

There is a multitude of apple varieties, and all will have differing times to harvest; some early and many later. If the variety of apple is known, look up the suggested harvest time as a guide. To harvest apples, first determine desired ripeness. Start on the sunniest side of the tree where fruit matures first, lift the fruit and gently twist; it should release from the spur easily. Cut the apple and when the pips (seeds) are brown, the apple is ready.

Pears need to be harvested when they are full-sized and proper color, but before they become soft. Lift and twist in a similar method to apples, letting them ripen fully after being harvested. Like apples, knowing the variety is helpful; different varieties have unique signs of ripening.

Vegetables

As hard as it is, it’s time to top the tomatoes plants to encourage the fruit that has already set to ripen. Take heart, it’s not time to put everything in the vegetable garden to bed. It’s not too late to sow some cool weather crops such as arugula and winter lettuce. And it is the perfect time to prepare a new bed for planting garlic next month.

Harvest winter squash and pumpkins (before the first hard frost) when their stems begin to shrivel and dry, and when the skin cannot be pierced with your fingernail. In the beds that are empty, sow a cover crop to improve the soil. Mulch the beds not containing winter or cover crops.

Susan Kalmar and Dave Eberle are Clallam County Master Gardeners.

September Educational Opportunities

Two amazing Green Thumb presentations will be offered this month. Both start at noon at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 510 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles.

Sept. 12: “Preserving the Harvest” with Danielle Carson, WSU Community Health and SNAP Education Coordinator.

Sept. 26: “Gardening Choices Helpful to Wintering Birds” with environmental scientist Katja Bridwell.

Both Green Thumb presentations are also available online via Zoom; get the links at extension.wsu.edu/clallam/master-gardener-calendar.

Two Digging Deeper Saturday presentations will be offered this month. Both start 10:30 a.m. and are at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road:

Sept. 7: “Fall Berry Chores” with Master Gardeners Jeanette Stehr-Green and Audreen Williams.

Sept. 21: “Reflections on the Garden” with Master Gardener panelists Laurel Moulton, Audreen Williams, Jan Danford. and Tom del Hotal.

Water conservation

The Washington State Department of Ecology drought emergency continues across the state. People around the area are joining in to save water in order to keep our farms viable and our river ecosystems safe. Here are just a few reminders for practicing water conservation in the garden:

• Let your lawn go dormant this summer. When rain returns in the fall, your grass will turn green again, just like the trees and shrubs in springtime.

• Taller turf grass promotes deeper roots. The deeper the roots, the healthier the plant.

• Water early in the morning to reduce evaporation losses. Ample, infrequent waterings are better than frequent superficial watering.

• Use drip irrigation system if possible.

• Mulch! Use mulch around the surface of trees, shrubs, flowers, and garden crops to reduce water loss.

• Plant native, drought-resistant plants, groundcovers, and shrubs to reduce water loss in your yard.

Source: WSU Clallam County Extension