What to Plant Right Now: PNW September Garden
Every September I do the same thing. I spend August ignoring the garden because it’s finally sunny and then wake up in September mildly panicked that I’ve wasted the fall window. Caught myself doing it again this year on September 3rd, standing in the backyard with a lukewarm coffee, doing the mental math on first frost dates.
Here’s the thing about September in Redmond. We still have a solid growing window, more than most people realize, and a lot of what works right now is cheap and fast. No greenhouse required. No expensive season extension gear. Just seeds, dirt, and a little attention to the calendar.
What’s Actually Still Worth Planting
Soil temps in zone 8b this time of year are usually hanging around 55 to 65 degrees, which is genuinely good for germination on a lot of crops. Our average first frost in Redmond is somewhere in mid to late November, so early September plantings have 10 to 12 weeks of growing time. That’s not nothing.
Spinach is probably my first call. Germination is solid down to about 50 degrees and it actually gets sweeter after a light frost. I direct sow it pretty thickly and thin as I pick. No thinning ceremony, just eat the thinnings. Cheapest salad you’ll find.
Arugula germinates fast. I’ve seen it in 5 days in September. And honestly a $2.49 seed packet will cover more space than most people need. My older daughter will eat it, my younger one treats it like a personal insult. So there’s that.
Kale and chard can still go in, but I’d do it early September rather than late. Plants started now will be small but will overwinter fine and give you a big push in February when you’re absolutely desperate for something fresh from the garden. Kale in February is a different kind of kale than kale in July. It knows things.
Mâche (also called corn salad, which always confused me as a kid) is underrated for PNW fall. Super cold hardy, slow growing, doesn’t bolt, and nobody at the grocery store knows what it is so you get to feel fancy while spending basically nothing. I got a packet at the Bi-Mart on 156th for $1.89 last fall and still have seeds left.
Radishes are the fast food of the vegetable garden. 25 to 30 days to harvest, which means a September 10th planting is eating by mid-October. I always put in at least one short row just because I can.
The Garlic Thing (Do Not Skip This)
Technically October is prime garlic planting time in the PNW, but September is when you should be sourcing your seed garlic before the good stuff sells out. I made the mistake of waiting until October 15th last year and the selection at the local nursery was picked over pretty badly. Ended up with one variety instead of three.
Order online if you want specific varieties. Keene Organics has good Pacific Northwest-adapted stock and the prices aren’t bad. Or split a bulk order with a neighbor and get the per-head cost down even further. Garlic math is one of my favorite kinds of math.
Row Cover: Worth Every Cent
If you don’t already own a roll of floating row cover, September is the time to fix that. A single layer adds 4 to 6 degrees of frost protection and keeps the worst of the fall rain off your greens, which means it earns its cost back in about one wet October week.
I bought a 6-foot by 50-foot roll two years ago for around $14.37 and it’s still going. Cut it to fit, hold down the edges with rocks or those cheap wire staples from the hardware store, done. No fancy hoops required unless you want them.
What I’m Skipping This Month
Broccoli and cauliflower transplants are probably not worth starting from seed now unless you have a cold frame. They need more runway than we’ve got. Beans are done. Tomatoes, obviously, are done (don’t do this). Squash, done. Let it go. There’s no shame in the seasonal pivot.
I did try to squeeze in some late zucchini in September once. The plant grew fine and then produced three zucchini the size of my thumb before the rain and grey killed it in late October. Technically a harvest. Practically a lesson.
One More Thing
Get yourself a cheap soil thermometer if you don’t have one. Knowing what’s actually in the ground takes the guesswork out of whether something will germinate. Most seed packets list germination temps and it’s more useful than ambient air temp for fall timing. Mine was $5.97 at the local hardware store and I’ve used it more times than I expected.
September gardening in the PNW is genuinely good. Less glamorous than August tomatoes, sure, but you’re planting things right now that will outlast whatever the weather throws at them. That’s not nothing. Lettuce say we make the most of it.
Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash
