I’m a Gardener – Jobs You Can Do Now in September and How to Protect Your Plants from Slugs
A gardener has revealed five vegetables you can plant in September, and some handy tips to stop slugs attacking your plants.
Louise Dickinson, 28, said that despite the colder weather, there are plenty of plants you can sow now, either for a quick harvest before the cold weather sets in or for the first harvest in spring.
3
3
3
Spring onions
According to Louise from Hertfordshire, spring onions are very hardy and therefore easy to grow in winter.
“If you just harvest the leaves and don’t pull up the whole plant, you can treat it like a perennial,” she said in a video posted to her TikTok channel (@tuinierenmetlou) and Instagram page (louiseskitchengarden1).
Louise, who is a cake baker by trade but also an avid gardener, explained that she sows three chives seeds per module tray.
“Chicken onions don’t mind being bunched together, and the thinner ones are great in salads,” she said.
Read more garden stories
Pak Choi
Louise said bok choy has a “high germination rate,” so she recommended planting only one seed per module.
“They grow incredibly fast and bolt easily in warm weather, so I like to hide them between the roots so the leaves shade them,” she said.
Louise added that snails and slugs love bok choy, so she urged gardeners to protect them.
To demonstrate how she protects her own plants, Louise spread a layer of bark on the ground around the bok choy, creating a barrier.
Broccoli
Louise advised novice gardeners to check that the broccoli variety they purchased is suitable for winter growing.
She added that she covers her seedlings with a layer of cling film, which acts as a “small cash.”
“There’s nothing better than a spring crop of broccoli,” she said.
Salad
Louise said that lettuce can last all fall and winter.
“Last year I was harvesting lettuce in December and there was snow on the ground,” she says.
The gardener explained that if you sow lettuce in modules, the plants will have enough leaves and be large enough to survive slug attacks.
Cheap Gardening Tips
- Keep weeds away with straw
According to gardeners and plant experts, all-natural straw is one of the most effective tools you can use in your garden.
You don’t have to buy a whole bale, you can usually buy smaller bundles from your local farm shop, for upwards of £1.50.
Some shops even sell ready-made bags specifically for gardens, often costing around £10, but can be found on the shelves or online. - Call your local garden center
If you are unsure about how to care for your plants, call or search online at your local garden center instead of using the Internet.
Nursery staff have up-to-date knowledge of the conditions in your region and can provide you with tips for caring for your plants that are specific to your climate and soil.
You can call them with a question or just drop by. They also want your plants to grow well. - Wood to keep snails out
Use a piece of wood to keep snails out of your garden.
According to experts, they crawl under it for shade.
Then you can collect them and throw them away. - Save your toilet paper rolls.
According to a tip from Family handyman.
Save the tubes and cut them into two-inch pieces before placing them in a watertight container.
Then simply fill the tubes with potting soil and start planting your seeds.
According to the website, if you want to put them in the garden, you can plant them directly in the tubes. Because they are cardboard, they will decompose organically.
She added that you can also protect your plants from cats and foxes by putting chicken wire over them.
Kale
The last plant Louise recommended planting this month is kale.
She said there are hundreds of different varieties, so you should definitely choose one that will grow all winter long.
“It’s an extremely strong vegetable,” she said.
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Simply email fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and put EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.
