September in the Garden
There is still time to patch bare spots in the lawn - scratch the dirt with your hand rake to remove dead grass. Add some dirt to the patch to even out the surface of the lawn and sprinkle some grass seed. Cover lightly with compost or dirt so the seeds don't go straight to the birds. The cooler nights and wetter weather will give the patches a great start. It's a great time to fertilize as well. Products such as Revive, which help hold moisture will still greatly enhance the growth of your lawn.
Shrub and Trees:
Fruit and Vegetable Gardens:
You should have a lovely second harvest of strawberries and big, fat raspberries! I just throw mine in the freezer just like they are - for quick ice cream toppings in the winter. They also make a delightful smoothie as a reward for all your hard work. Hurray for breakfast berries in the garden! The canning tomatoes in my garden are getting huge and provide me with a tasty "apron-full" every day now. If you get too tired of caprese salad (nearly impossible, I know) - combine those gorgeous tomatoes with your basil from the herb garden to make a delicious sauce to take you through the winter.
Sage leaves can be cut and frozen individually on cookie sheets. After freezing overnight, scoop them up and put them in a ziplock bag. Remember to always brown your sage leaves (brown butter is the best, by the way) and never serve sage raw. I harvested a good bushel of basil, picked all the leaves off the steams, washed and chopped them up with a little olive oil in the food processor. Then I stuffed them in to ice cube trays and froze overnight. The next day, pop out the "basil cubes" and put in zip lock for fresh basil all year.
Weeding:
One more go 'round, that's what I say. Once more I'll get all the weeds out of the gardens, dead head the corn flowers and daisies and give the gardens a quick spruce up before the transition to winter.
Happy Gardening!