Recently, chilly mornings have me grabbing my hoodie before loading the kids into the car for school. Apple orchards are starting to advertise cider and donuts. Mums are starting to adorn front porches. And that smell…could it be? Pumpkin spice! 

I will continue to lie to myself and proclaim summer still has a few more weeks, but fall is here whether I’m ready or not. The summer garden was a resounding success! After skipping cucurbit crops for two years our cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins made it the entire season free of squash bugs and squash vine borer. I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with and my peppers continue to bloom and fruit. We feasted on home-grown melons, okra, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. After all my summer toiling, I am exhausted! The fall garden has not and probably will not get started. I’ll chalk up my favorite gardening season to a loss and probably scatter some cover crop seed in vacant beds. 

Even though I plan to skip the fall crops this year, there is still plenty to do in September. Here are the items I plan to tackle on my fall garden checklist:

Get ready to bring houseplants back inside

For any houseplants that have been outdoors, now is the time to prep them for their return trip indoors. Before bringing houseplants inside inspect them for any insects and stowaway toads and snakes. (Yes, there is a story there) Slowly adjust houseplants to lower light conditions inside by gradually moving to lower light conditions over a few weeks. 

Prep the space where the houseplants will be living over the winter. I have started cleaning off my shelves that hold houseplants and my spring seed starting flats. Checking the bulbs of the suspended lights overhead, a few are dim, and a couple of bulbs need to be replaced. I even found my box of dahlia tubers that got left downstairs. Oops!

More information on growing houseplants.

Decorate with cool-season flowering plants

Perhaps my wife’s favorite plant is fall mums. Some go into containers. Others get planted in the ground. For those planted in the ground consider planting them on a slight mound to help with drainage issues. Mums like well-drained soil to prevent root rot. 

Mums aren’t the only fall bedding plant. Some spectacular fall plants can liven the garden back up – ornamental kale and pansies to name a few. I am hoping my spring-planted snapdragons put on one last September show.

More information on perennial and annual flowers for Illinois landscapes.

Take stock of the garden from this season

Take notes about what worked and didn't work this gardening season. It's easier to take notes now than try to remember next year what happened this year. Taking photos is another great way to remember what this gardening season was like. This is especially useful for vegetable gardens where we recommend crop rotation as a cultural method for addressing disease issues such as early blight on tomatoes.

Plant trees, shrubs, and spring bulbs (and garlic too!)

While I don’t intend to plant trees or shrubs, fall can be a good time to do so in Illinois. Reach out to your local Extension office when considering what species of tree to select. Trees can last for hundreds of years. It’s a big decision! 

Purchase spring blooming bulbs for planting in October. Yikes! Are places already selling out of spring bulbs? I had better address this task ASAP. Might as well remind myself to get those garlic bulbs too while I’m shopping for bulbs.

Revigorate your cool-season lawn

After a long hot, and dry 2024 summer my lawn needs some TLC. I have some dead spots in the lawn that will be reseeded. Plus, an application of lawn fertilizer. My goal is to get both done between August 15 to September 15. That is a good window for Central Illinois. Northern Illinois will need to be a bit earlier and Southern Illinois can go a bit later with late-season lawn tasks.

More information on lawn care in Illinois.

Enjoy!

And finally, enjoy the cooler weather and sit and relax in the garden. Perhaps the most important task of fall! 

Good Growing Tip of the Week: I may not be planting trees, but I have some baby trees already in the ground that will need fencing to protect from deer rubbing and rodent damage. Bucks can start rubbing their antlers in early September.