September Vegetable Garden: Harvesting, Cleaning Up & Preparing for Winter

September always feels like a bit of a transition in the vegetable garden.

Here in Northern Alberta, my garden is beginning to wind down. I’ll be harvesting my potatoes, carrots, beets and turnips and gradually getting the garden ready for winter.

This year, the garden did surprisingly well while I was away.

The weeds certainly didn’t take a vacation! They were heavy when I returned, but we had plenty of rain, so at least I didn’t have to worry about watering. And underneath all those weeds, there were some pretty good vegetables waiting for me.

That’s one of the wonderful—and sometimes surprising—things about vegetable gardening. Even when things don’t go exactly as planned, the garden can still produce.

Time to Harvest the Potatoes

I like to dig them carefully so I don’t accidentally cut or puncture the potatoes. Damaged potatoes should be used first, while the best ones can be stored for later.

After harvesting, let the potatoes dry and cure somewhere cool, dark and well-ventilated for a while before putting them into longer-term storage. I am lucky enougth to have a cold room storage in the basement.

And don’t wash them before storing them. Just brush off the excess soil once they’re dry.

I always keep a good amount of the smaller ones for next year's seed potatoes.

Don’t Forget the Carrots

In fact, cooler temperatures can make carrots taste even sweeter.

I’ll be harvesting some of mine this September, but if you’re in a colder northern area, you can often leave carrots in the ground a little longer with some protection from frost.

If you’re farther south, you may still have plenty of time to enjoy carrots well into fall and even winter.

Beets and Turnips

I love growing root vegetables because they don’t require quite as much attention once they’re established. That’s especially helpful in a year when you aren’t able to spend as much time in the garden.

Beets can be pulled when they’re the size you prefer, and turnips are best harvested while they’re still tender rather than allowing them to become overly large and woody.

Don’t forget about the greens, either. Young beet and turnip greens can be used in cooking just like other leafy vegetables. I was enjoying both when I was back at the farm for a few weeks in August.

Dealing With the Weeds

The weeds were heavy.

But September is actually a good time to tackle them because you’re already thinking about cleaning up the garden.

Try not to let weeds go to seed. Removing them now can mean fewer weeds to deal with next year.

I also like to remove dead or diseased plant material rather than leaving it in the garden. Healthy plant material can often be composted, but anything showing signs of disease is better disposed of rather than adding it to your compost pile.

Don’t Be Too Quick to Clean Everything Up

Leaving some healthy plant material and roots in place can provide habitat for beneficial insects and contribute organic matter to the soil.

Once the harvest is finished, consider adding compost or well-aged organic matter to your garden beds. A little preparation in the fall can make spring gardening much easier.

And if you have leaves available, save them!

Shredded leaves make an excellent addition to compost and can also be used as mulch.

A Different September Depending on Where You Live

While I’m starting to think about putting my Northern Alberta garden to bed, gardeners farther south may still be planting.

Depending on your climate and first frost date, September can be a great month for:

* Lettuce September gardening looks very different depending on where you live.

Here in Northern Alberta, I’m celebrating what the garden produced and gradually preparing for winter.

But if you’re gardening farther south, September may actually be the beginning of another growing season.

That’s one of the things I love about gardening—there’s always something happening somewhere.

Whether you’re pulling the last carrots from the garden or planting vegetables for a fall and winter harvest, September is a month to enjoy what you’ve grown and start thinking about the season ahead.

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Until Next Month

I’d love to hear what is growing well for you this year—and whether you’re winding your garden down or planting for another season.

Happy gardening! Catherine Your Vegetable Gardening Helper

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