It’s September, the beginning of spring, the time of new life and renewal! The weather is starting to warm up this month.
In Darwin the weather is sunny, and it’s still the dry season but the weather is becoming hotter and more humid.
This month is the last chance to plant bare rooted deciduous trees and shrubs, as they need time to establish before the summer heat arrives. Container grown ones with well-developed roots can be planted right through spring.
Things to Do This Month:
- Plant evergreen shrubs and trees (this includes citrus trees).
- Relocate evergreen shrubs – they can now regrow their roots during the mild weather.
- Last chance to plant bare-root deciduous trees, shrubs and vines (otherwise wait till autumn).
- Feed all fruit trees if you didn’t do so last month.
- Clean up old growth in perennial herbaceous (non-woody) plants to make room for new growth.
- Propagate plants by taking cuttings or layering (both ground layering and air layering).
- Divide perennials, such as chives.
- Plant passionfruit.
- For seedlings raised indoors in August, harden off by slowly increasing sun and exposure to outside temperatures for 7 to 10 days before planting out.
- In ponds, begin feeding fish small amounts of food often, so food is not left over to pollute the water.
Vegetables and Herbs to Grow in September (Tropical Climate)
| September Seeds to Sow and Seedlings to Plant (Tropical Climate Australia) | Sow/Plant | Harvest (weeks) |
| Basil | st | 10-12 |
| Collard Greens | t | 8-11 |
| Cowpeas (Black Eye Peas) | d | 11-14 |
| Cucumber | t | 8-10 |
| Ginger | plant root | 25 |
| Mustard Greens | dst | 5-8 |
| Okra | dt | 11-14 |
| Sunflower | t | 10-11 |
| Sweet Corn | dst | 11-14 |
| Sweet Potato (Kumara) | plant crowns | 15-17 |
| Taro (Cocoyam) | plant tubers | 28 |
| Zucchini (Courgette, Marrow) | t | 6-9 |
Key:
d = sow seeds directly into ground
s = sow seeds into seed tray
ds = sow seeds directly into ground or seed tray
t = transplant seedlings (small plants) into larger pots or plant into ground
*= frost tender
**= sow after frost
Download printable PDF version of Gardening Calendar (Australian Tropical Climate) – September
To help improve these garden calendars, feedback and additional information from readers is greatly appreciated! Australia’s climate varies considerably, and local knowledge of when particular things need to be done in the garden are most helpful to others living in those area, so please feel free to share.