September is here, and that means it’s time to get back into the garden!
While summer may be winding down, your gardening season certainly doesn’t have to. In fact, September can be one of the best months to plant. The cooler temperatures make gardening more enjoyable, while the still-warm soil helps new plants establish their roots.
If you’re gardening in Zones 6–8, there are plenty of flowers, vegetables, and herbs you can start now for a beautiful and productive fall garden.
Here are my top three choices in each category to get your September garden growing!
🌸 Top 3 Flowers to Plant in September
1. Pansies
Pansies are one of my favorite flowers for fall!
They love cooler temperatures and can provide cheerful color when many summer flowers are beginning to fade. Their little faces make them perfect for containers, window boxes, porch pots, and flower beds.
With the right conditions, pansies can continue blooming through fall and may even return with beautiful blooms in early spring.
Planting tip: Give pansies a spot with morning sun and well-drained soil. Keep them watered while they establish.
2. Mums
What says fall better than a beautiful pot of mums?
Mums are a classic September garden choice and are perfect for adding instant color to your porch, walkway, or flower beds. Look for plants covered in unopened buds rather than completely open flowers if you want to enjoy their color for a longer period.
Try combining different colors in a large container for a gorgeous autumn display.
Garden tip: Deadhead spent blooms to keep your mums looking tidy and encourage continued flowering.
3. Snapdragons
Don’t overlook snapdragons when planning your fall garden!
These colorful flowers actually enjoy cooler weather and can provide beautiful blooms during fall. In mild climates, they may even overwinter and give you another show in spring.
Snapdragons also make wonderful cut flowers, making them especially fun for anyone who enjoys bringing flowers indoors.
Planting tip: Plant snapdragons in a sunny location with fertile, well-drained soil.
🥕 Top 3 Vegetables to Start in September
September is prime time for many cool-season vegetables. The key is choosing varieties that can mature before your first hard freeze—or choosing vegetables that can continue growing into the cooler months.
1. Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in a fall garden.
Because it prefers cooler temperatures, September is a great time to start seeds or transplant young lettuce plants. You can grow it in traditional garden beds, raised beds, containers, or even a sunny window box.
Try planting a small amount every couple of weeks for a continuous supply of fresh leaves.
Harvest tip: Pick the outer leaves while allowing the center of the plant to continue growing.
2. Radishes
If you want a vegetable that gives you quick results, plant radishes!
Many varieties can be ready to harvest in just a few weeks. They also take up very little space, making them perfect for small gardens and containers.
Radishes prefer cool weather and can be planted directly from seed.
Planting tip: Sow seeds about ½ inch deep and keep the soil consistently moist while they germinate.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is another excellent cool-season crop for September.
It prefers cooler temperatures and can produce delicious heads in the fall and, depending on your climate and variety, may continue producing side shoots after the main head is harvested.
For the best results, start with healthy transplants if your growing season is getting short.
Garden tip: Give broccoli plenty of room to grow and keep it consistently watered.
🌿 Top 3 Herbs to Grow in September
Your herb garden doesn’t have to disappear when summer ends!
Several herbs actually appreciate the cooler temperatures of fall. Some can be grown outdoors, while others can be moved into containers and brought inside when freezing weather arrives.
1. Parsley
Parsley is a fantastic fall herb and is surprisingly cold tolerant.
Plant it in the garden or grow it in a container near the kitchen. Once established, you can harvest small amounts as needed.
Parsley is also a beautiful addition to the garden, with its bright green foliage adding texture to flower beds.
Tip: Harvest the outer stems first so the plant can continue producing new growth.
2. Cilantro
Cilantro is much happier in cool weather than in the heat of summer.
If your cilantro always seems to bolt as soon as summer arrives, September is your chance to try again!
Plant seeds directly into the garden and keep the soil moist while they germinate. You can enjoy fresh leaves throughout the cooler months.
Bonus: If you allow some plants to flower and produce seeds, you can collect the seeds as coriander.
3. Sage
Sage is a wonderful herb to keep growing into fall.
It is a hardy perennial in many Zones 6–8 and can become a beautiful, long-lived addition to your herb garden. Its silvery foliage also makes it attractive enough to include in ornamental flower beds.
Sage prefers plenty of sunlight and well-drained soil.
Harvest tip: Snip leaves as needed, but avoid removing too much of the plant at once as colder weather approaches.
🍂 Don’t Forget Your Existing Garden!
September isn’t only about planting new things. It’s also a great time to take care of the plants you already have.
✿ Remove dead or diseased foliage.
✿ Keep harvesting herbs and vegetables regularly.
✿ Collect seeds from flowers you’d like to grow next year.
✿ Add compost to tired garden beds.
✿ Add a layer of mulch around established plants.
✿ Watch your watering as temperatures begin to change.
✿ Bring tender potted plants indoors before the first frost.
✿ Start thinking about spring bulbs that you’ll want to plant later in the fall.
🌱 September Is a New Beginning
One of the things I love most about gardening is that there is rarely a true ending to the growing season.
When the summer garden begins to fade, the fall garden is just getting started.
A few pansies tucked into a flower bed, lettuce growing in a raised bed, radishes popping up from the soil, and fresh parsley waiting outside the kitchen door can make September feel like the beginning of another gardening adventure.
So grab your gardening gloves, get outside, and plant something! Comment below what you might plant this fall!
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