This month, get ready for fall and the first frost by encouraging downtime, prepping your grass and planting fall vegetables.
by Addie Ladner

“Now is the time to dive into cool-season garden work,” says Deanna Bigio, a horticulture extension agent at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. “We still have another two months or so of warm weather — the first frost in Wake County typically comes around Halloween— so it’s a good time to get things prepped and established.” Here are her top suggestions for the garden this month.

Encourage Rest

Fight the urge to cut back colorful perennials that might have had a growth spurt this summer, like roses, hydrangeas, gardenias and rhododendrons. “Do not prune in September or October,” says Bigio. “Early fall is when your plants are going into dormancy. Pruning stimulates new growth, but that new growth may not be able to harden off before our first frost.” This means the plants may not be able to stand up to freezing or below-freezing temperatures, high winds, full sun or high heat, making them at risk of dying or a delayed emergence next year.

Prep the Lawn

“Now is the time to plant cool-season grasses,” says Bigio. Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue or fine fescue all do wonderfully in our area this time of year, giving you a lush green lawn through spring. 

Plant Fall Vegetables

You may still be harvesting tomatoes, peppers and a few other summer vegetables this month, but Bigio says to go ahead and make room for the next round. She likes to start baby plants of those hearty cool-weather herbs and vegetables. “Things like dill, parsley, leafy greens like lettuce and kale, legumes, bulbs, and root vegetables like carrots, beets and radish are all great to get into the ground now,” she says.

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of WALTER magazine.