September 2026
Hey there, fabulous gardeners of the Mid-Ohio Valley! September is the handoff month—summer still filling baskets while fall quietly takes the wheel. Tomatoes and peppers keep coming, nights start to cool, and those first mums and fall greens make the garden feel new again. In USDA Zones 6 and 7, we’ve still got weeks before a typical first frost (usually mid-to-late October around here—confirm your own spot). Focus on harvesting what’s ready, slipping cool-season crops into empty beds, watering young trees and shrubs, and getting soil ready for next year. We’ve blended Mid-Ohio Valley know-how, WVU Extension tips, and plenty of dirt-under-the-fingernails experience into week-by-week tasks. Grab a sweater for the evening walk, keep the harvest knife handy, and let’s grow right into autumn. 🍂🍅🌼
| 🌙 Moon Phase | Date | Garden Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| 🌗 Last Quarter | Friday, September 4th | Barren Time, Weed & Maintain |
| 🌑 New Moon | Friday, September 11th | Plant Seeds and Transplants |
| 🌓 First Quarter | Friday, September 18th | Plant or Harvest Aboveground Crops |
| 🌕 Full Moon | Saturday, September 26th | Plant Root Crops |
Week 36 (August 31–September 6, 2026 – wrapping from August)
Tuesday, September 1: Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, beans, and okra so plants stay productive. Clear finished summer beds for fall seedings.
Wednesday, September 2: Seed spinach, lettuce, radishes, and fall turnips while the soil is still warm.
Thursday, September 3: Top up mulch (2–4 inches) around veggies, flowers, and shrubs. Deep water if rainfall has been light.
Friday, September 4 – Last Quarter Moon: Barren time—weed, turn the compost pile, and work soil. Don’t let late weeds go to seed.
Saturday–Sunday, September 5–6: Enjoy Labor Day weekend in the garden. Dig late potatoes as tops die back. Take notes on which varieties earned a spot next year.
Week 37 (September 7–13, 2026)
Labor Day – Monday, September 7 · Patriot Day – Friday, September 11
Monday, September 7: Labor Day. Harvest what’s ripe, then rest a little—you’ve earned it. If you’re out visiting family, a walk through the garden still counts.
Tuesday, September 8: Seed cover crops on empty beds to feed the soil (aim to get most grasses and legumes in by mid-month). Renovate thin lawn spots or reseed bare patches.
Wednesday, September 9: Divide peonies if clumps are crowded. Water the divisions in well.
Thursday, September 10: Start shopping your spring-flowering bulb list—tulips, daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths go in as soil cools. Harvest early pumpkins when rinds harden and vines begin to fade.
Friday, September 11 – New Moon · Patriot Day: Prime planting day. Seed lettuce, spinach, and carrots (tunnels or cold frames help). Set hardy evergreens and other trees and shrubs while roots can still settle before winter.
Saturday, September 12: Control broadleaf weeds in the lawn. Deadhead tired annuals so color lasts toward frost.
Sunday, September 13: Harvest peppers and any remaining summer squash. Check houseplants you’ll bring in later—now’s a good week to inspect for hitchhiking pests.
Week 38 (September 14–20, 2026)
Monday, September 14: Plant garden mums for fall color. Water them in and keep soil evenly moist while they settle.
Tuesday, September 15: Begin the main pumpkin harvest as fruits color up. Leave a few inches of stem attached.
Wednesday, September 16: Seed salad greens and fall spinach again for a staggered harvest. Transplant winter-sprouting broccoli if you have starts ready.
Thursday, September 17: Repot houseplants before they come indoors. Water young trees and shrubs during dry spells—fall watering matters as much as spring.
Friday, September 18 – First Quarter Moon: Good day for aboveground crops. Harvest greens, herbs, and late tomatoes, or tuck in another round of lettuce.
Saturday, September 19: Harvest early-planted sweet potatoes before cool, wet weather sets in. Cure them in a warm, dry spot.
Sunday, September 20: Plant shallots and potato onions. Keep pulling weeds before they seed.
Week 39 (September 21–27, 2026)
Autumnal Equinox – Tuesday, September 22 · Harvest Moon – Saturday, September 26
Monday, September 21: Seed carrots again in a high tunnel or cold frame. Save seed from your favorite heirloom tomatoes if that’s your habit.
Tuesday, September 22 – First Day of Fall: Equinox garden walk. Notice what’s still producing, what needs pulling, and where spring bulbs would shine. Plant elephant garlic.
Wednesday, September 23: Harvest storage onions once tops have fallen and necks are drying. Bring rosemary and other tender herbs indoors before a surprise chill.
Thursday, September 24: Seed leeks and salad greens for overwintering in a cold frame. Keep containers watered—they dry out even on cool days.
Friday, September 25: Plant hyacinths and other spring bulbs as soil temperatures drop. Mark the spots so spring-you can find them.
Saturday, September 26 – Full Moon (Harvest Moon): Root-crop day. Plant garlic, finish onion harvest, and turn compost. Step outside after dusk—the Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the equinox.
Sunday, September 27: Water evergreens and anything planted this month. Scout for leftover tomatoes worth ripening indoors.
Week 40 (September 28–30, 2026 – heading into October)
Monday, September 28: Finish cover-crop seeding on empty ground. Clean up fallen fruit under trees to cut down next year’s pest pressure.
Tuesday–Wednesday, September 29–30: Keep harvesting, mulching, and watering. Bring in the last tender herbs if nights are trending cold. October will ask for frost covers and more bulb planting—this week is your clean handoff.
September in the Mid-Ohio Valley is harvest and hope in the same basket: jars on the counter, bulbs in the ground, and cooler evenings on the porch. Stay after the weeds, water the new plantings, and let the garden teach you what earned a place next year.
Swing by Bob’s Market in Mason, Gallipolis, or Belpre for supplies, plant recommendations, or just to chat gardening. Questions about October tasks, bulb timing, or what to do with a mountain of tomatoes? Holler in the comments or at the greenhouse.
