September has a habit of feeling like the end of the gardening year. The evenings begin to draw in, there is often a chill in the air first thing in the morning, and some of the exuberance of midsummer starts to disappear.

But the garden is far from finished.

In fact, September can be one of the nicest months to get outside and plant. The soil is still holding warmth from summer, there is usually more moisture around, and the fiercest heat has passed. There are vegetables that can be sown for autumn and winter harvests, hardy herbs that can be established now, and plenty of flowers worth planting for next year.

So, if you’re wondering what to plant in September in the UK, don’t put the seed packets and gardening gloves away just yet. Here are 15 worthwhile things to grow.

Vegetables to plant in September

1. Spinach

Spinach is one of the most useful vegetables to sow as summer begins to give way to autumn.

Choose a hardy variety suitable for autumn sowing and give it a reasonably sheltered position. Young spinach appreciates moisture around its roots, so don’t allow newly sown areas or containers to dry out while the plants are establishing.

You can sow directly into the ground or grow spinach in containers if garden space is limited.

One advantage of a September sowing is that growth is taking place away from the hottest part of the year. With a little protection as the weather becomes colder, you may be able to continue picking leaves well into the cooler months.

2. Radishes

If patience isn’t your strongest gardening virtue, sow some radishes.

They are quick, uncomplicated and don’t demand much room. A small patch of ground, raised bed or reasonably deep container can produce a useful crop.

Sow little and often rather than emptying the whole packet at once. This gives you a succession of young radishes instead of suddenly having more than you know what to do with.

Keep the growing medium consistently moist. Irregular watering can affect the quality of the roots.

3. Winter salads

There is no reason for home-grown salad leaves to disappear simply because summer is ending.

Hardier salad crops such as lamb’s lettuce, mizuna and some winter lettuce varieties can be sown in September. They are particularly useful for gardeners with a greenhouse, cold frame or sheltered container-growing area.

Don’t overcrowd them. Giving young plants a little breathing room improves air movement and makes them much easier to manage as conditions become damper.

A container close to the kitchen door can be surprisingly productive.

4. Spring onions

A September sowing of suitable hardy spring onions can provide a crop later in the season or come through for harvesting the following spring, depending on variety and conditions.

They take up very little space and are a good candidate for containers and raised beds.

Sow them fairly thinly and keep the surface moist while they germinate. If you garden in a particularly exposed or cold part of the country, a little protection will help once temperatures begin falling.

5. Turnips

Turnips have rather unfairly acquired an old-fashioned reputation.

Young turnips harvested small are quite different from the enormous roots some people remember from years ago. They are quick to grow, useful in the kitchen and their leaves can be eaten too.

Early September is the safer window in many parts of Britain, particularly if you want a crop before colder weather substantially slows growth.

Give them an open position and don’t let the soil dry out during establishment.

6. Oriental greens

Pak choi, mustard greens and other leafy Asian vegetables come into their own as summer heat subsides.

Many are prone to bolting when grown during hot, dry weather, making late summer and early autumn an attractive sowing period.

They can work particularly well in raised beds and containers, where it is easy to keep an eye on moisture levels and young plants.

Slugs and snails may have noticed them too, so check plants regularly.

7. Broad beans

Broad beans are more commonly associated with spring, but some hardy varieties can be autumn sown.

Timing matters here. September can be on the early side in warmer parts of the UK, while conditions vary considerably between northern, southern, coastal and sheltered gardens.

The objective with autumn sowing isn’t to produce enormous plants before winter. You want sturdy young plants capable of sitting through colder weather and resuming growth when conditions improve.

Check the instructions for your particular variety before sowing.

Herbs to plant in September

8. Parsley

Parsley deserves a place in far more gardens.

It grows happily in beds and containers and can keep producing useful leaves long after many summer herbs have begun to look tired.

September sowings may need patience as temperatures fall, so a sheltered spot, greenhouse or windowsill can be useful.

If buying young parsley plants instead, September is a good opportunity to establish them while there is still some warmth around.

9. Coriander

Gardeners sometimes struggle with coriander in summer because it can race towards flowering.

The cooler conditions of early autumn can be much more forgiving.

Sow a small amount every couple of weeks rather than creating one large crop. Coriander doesn’t need an enormous container, making it a useful choice for balconies, patios and windowsills as well as vegetable gardens.

Keep it watered without leaving the roots sitting permanently wet.

10. Chives

Chives are remarkably accommodating.

Established clumps can be divided, while young plants can be planted into containers or beds during the milder part of September.

They will eventually retreat as winter arrives before returning in spring.

If you are dividing an established plant, don’t be frightened of breaking the clump into several smaller sections. Replant them promptly and water them in well.

Flowers to plant in September

11. Daffodils

Few gardening jobs offer such a good return for such little effort.

Plant daffodil bulbs in autumn and, for most of the winter, apparently nothing happens. Then the first shoots begin appearing and suddenly spring doesn’t seem quite so far away.

September is an excellent time to start planting them.

As a rough guide, bulbs are generally planted at around two to three times their own depth. Choose somewhere that doesn’t remain waterlogged.

They work in borders, beneath deciduous trees, in grass and in containers.

12. Crocuses

Crocuses are another small investment in next spring.

Their flowers can appear when relatively little else is happening, bringing welcome colour to pots, lawns and borders.

Plant the bulbs in well-drained ground or containers during autumn. Groups generally create a much better effect than isolated individual bulbs.

If planting into pots, make sure excess water can escape freely.

13. Alliums

If you want something more architectural, plant alliums.

Their distinctive flower heads rise above borders in late spring and summer, depending on the variety, and work particularly well amongst grasses and perennial planting.

September and autumn are good planting periods.

Alliums generally prefer a sunny position with reasonably free-draining soil. There are varieties ranging from relatively modest plants to enormous statement flowers, so check the eventual height before deciding where they belong.

14. Pansies and violas

September doesn’t have to mean accepting empty containers until spring.

Pansies and violas are useful for bringing colour into pots, window boxes and hanging baskets as summer displays begin to fade.

Garden centres are usually full of young plants at this time of year, which can be planted straight into prepared containers.

Rather than simply putting a new plant into exhausted summer compost, remove old roots and refresh the growing medium where necessary. Make sure containers drain properly before autumn rain becomes persistent.

15. Hardy perennials

Early autumn is an excellent time to establish many hardy perennial plants.

The great advantage is happening underground.

While top growth begins to slow, the soil can remain warm enough for roots to establish before winter. Plants then have a head start when growth resumes next spring.

Exactly what you choose will depend on your garden, but September is a good month to look at gaps in borders and think about what you want them to look like next year.

Water new plants thoroughly after planting and continue checking them during dry spells. Autumn doesn’t automatically mean the soil is wet.

Don’t forget containers

You don’t need a large vegetable patch to keep growing in September.

A few containers can accommodate salad leaves, spinach, spring onions, herbs and autumn colour remarkably well. They are also easier to move into a sheltered position when the weather changes.

What matters is what’s happening around the roots.

Containers need a growing medium that holds useful moisture while still allowing excess water to drain. As autumn becomes wetter, drainage becomes particularly important; roots sitting in cold, saturated conditions rarely end happily.

If you’re starting fresh containers this month, our Coir Vital Grow® Coir Potting Mix can be used for a wide range of growing jobs around the garden.

Explore Coir Potting Mix

What about growbags?

September isn’t the obvious month people associate with growbags, but they can still be useful where you want a contained growing area without preparing a permanent bed.

They’re particularly handy in greenhouses, patios and other spaces where digging isn’t practical.

For quick-growing autumn leaves and herbs, the principle is simple: choose crops appropriate for the shortening days, don’t overcrowd them and pay attention to watering as the weather changes.

Explore CoirProducts Growbags

A word about where you live

No September planting guide can account perfectly for every British garden.

A sheltered garden on the south coast can be enjoying very different conditions from an exposed garden in Scotland at exactly the same time. Even two gardens a few miles apart can have noticeably different temperatures.

Treat sowing dates as a useful window rather than a deadline.

Watch your own garden. Check the weather forecast. Follow the instructions for the particular variety you’re growing. If autumn arrives early where you live, use a greenhouse, cold frame or other protection for crops that need it.

That bit of judgement is part of gardening.

What should you plant first?

If you only have an hour in the garden this weekend, you certainly don’t need to plant all fifteen.

Sow a container of spinach or winter salad leaves. Put in a few spring onions. Plant some parsley. Then find a space for a handful of spring bulbs.

That’s enough.

September gardening doesn’t need to be about undertaking a huge autumn overhaul. Sometimes it’s simply about making a few small decisions now that give you something to harvest in a few weeks or something wonderful to discover next spring.

And perhaps that’s the nicest thing about planting at this time of year.

Just as one gardening season appears to be winding down, you’re quietly starting the next one.