I keep seeing people say that September is “too late” to plant, but I’m starting to think the better question is: what are you planting, and how long does it need to mature?

For fall planting, I’d probably prioritize faster crops first, especially:

* Radishes
* Leaf lettuce
* Arugula

Then there are the cooler-weather crops that can be worth trying depending on your climate and first frost date:

* Spinach
* Kale
* Carrots

One thing I’ve learned is that germination and harvest timing are two very different things. A seed might germinate perfectly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the plant has enough time to reach maturity before the weather turns.

And if you spend 2–3 weeks waiting for poor germination, that can be a pretty big chunk of the fall growing window.

Curious what everyone else is planting right now.

What crops have you had the most success with when planting in September?

I live in central Florida, which is WET. In the summer, it often rains an inch or more in an hour, so the water can pool. Even on days when it doesn't rain, it is very very humid. Mildews, funguses, and predatory bugs are all bad here.

I want to add soil to two areas in my yard:

1) an existing raised bed. It has mostly garden soil with some Black Kow and last year's mulch on top. The bottom was a layer of tree branches, so it's sunk a lot and will need a significant topping off. I plant a mix of flowers, veg, fruit, whatever I feel like in a given season.

2) plain ol' holes in the ground, in our sandy soil. I want to add flowers at intervals around the yard.

Is Mel's mix, or something very close to it, ideal here? Would you make any adjustments for the heavy amount of moisture we have here? I do use coconut coir instead of peat.

I decided to plant watermelon this year and just let the vines stretch grow under the peppers, tomatoes, etc chaos style and see what happens. Hot 4 more or pick tomorrow

I finally have the room to build some above ground planters. Each one will hold approx 480L soil, but i'm not sure whether to add sharp sand or perlite into the mix. They will be built with structural timber and solid so I'm not too worried about weigh. I will be growing a mix of brassicas, courgettes, beets, lettuce, strawberries etc. Based in London.

The mix will be 60% topsoil, 30% manure, 10% sharp sand/perlite.

Last season I made 2 small garden boxes (3x4) and at the start of the season saw one had termites and rotted wood. I still used them, but when I made a 3rd box, I decided to use a torch and do the charred wood method to prevent rotting / termites. We are now 2 months in, and we’ve discovered termites in the box. I suppose it wasn’t charred enough?? (The wood is black). I’m so disappointed. I have more wood I was going to use to build more boxes but after this experience, I think I may go with metal or brick. Thoughts? A neighbor of mine who is big into gardening uses treated wood without issue but I’ve read mixed advice on this.

Hey friends,

What are you planting now? I was thinking radishes, arugula and carrots. Where do you get your seeds?

I found this and it was really helpful, I’ll be planting more lettuce, carrots, and some more potatoes

This is my first time posting. This is my first year growing these Tromboncino Zucchini. I was away for 2 1/2 weeks and this is what I came home to. I have 2 others out there that are like 4 ft. long but are starting to turn tan so I left those ones on because I understand if I leave them until they turn orangeish with a tough shell they’ll be more like winter zucchini. What would you do with these? Just use like any other zucchini? Thoughts about leaving the others on. Thanks for any comments!