News + Trends

Gardening in the month of September

19.9.2017

Translation: machine translated

When the days get longer again in autumn and the light shines in warm tones, it's time to harvest and tidy up the garden and balcony. This sometimes takes a lot of time and is exhausting. But the result is all the more pleasing and satisfying.

How about dehydrating fruit and vegetables this autumn

Apple rings can be turned into dried fruit with very little effort. But it also works with many other types of fruit and vegetables. These are simply chopped up, dried and filled into jars to preserve them for the winter. This preservation method has been somewhat forgotten. However, with a dehydrator or oven, this can be done easily and without much effort at home.

So if you have a huge glut of tomatoes, plums or other vegetables or fruit, dehydrating is always worthwhile and great fun. Once you start dehydrating, you'll realise how easy it is. It's best to get a book on dehydrating fruit and vegetables. Many good books have been published in recent years.

Getting tomato seeds from your own tomatoes

Normally, we buy our seeds for the following year anew each year. Or we buy the plants as seedlings. With a little experience and practice, you can also grow your own seeds for next year from your own vegetables. Now is the right time! It is important that the cultivated varieties are not F1 hybrids, as F1 hybrids are crosses of two different varieties. The resulting new varieties are not "seed-proof". This means that they only develop the desired bred characteristics in the first year. In the following years, they will revert to the old "characteristics", which is not desirable. Therefore, make sure that you only use seeds from "seed-resistant" varieties for propagation.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are very easy to propagate yourself. But annual summer flowers or perennial flowering perennials are also very suitable for this. Simply leave the seed heads standing and wait until the seeds ripen on their own. Propagating tomato seeds is a little more complicated, but it's not rocket science. Here are a few instructions:

Let the tomatoes ripen completely

Cut the tomato in half and roughly puree or crush the tomato flesh. The seed is too small to be damaged.
Leave the flesh with the seeds for one to three days at around 20 degrees Celsius. This triggers spontaneous fermentation.
Remove the seeds completely from the meat, clean with water and leave to dry.
Store in a dry and protected place.

Time to plant an autumn balcony box

Of course, we want to bring some autumn into our flower boxes on the balcony or in the garden. Many autumn bloomers are now available on the market. From autumnal, colourful flowering plants to subtle grasses and colourful perennials, everything is now available. Ornamental pumpkins or autumnal motifs are of course a must. There are no limits to the imagination.

Of course, many matching plant pots (e.g. wicker or zinc pots) are now also available. These go very well with the autumnal ambience of the autumn plants and are a real feast for the eyes. An extensive shopping trip to a specialist shop or a bit of browsing online is worthwhile and can give you valuable inspiration for the design of your balcony or garden.

With a little imagination and muse, autumn chrysanthemums, heather and calluna and co. can be put together to create a beautiful autumnal arrangement. I'll show you how to do this here. It's fun and very easy to make yourself.

Tips and tricks for harvesting or buying pumpkins

Pumpkins are in high season at the moment and are on sale everywhere. There is a large selection to choose from and if you like, you can use them for decorative purposes or for a delicious pumpkin dish.

Pumpkins are the epitome of autumn and harvest time and can be used to prepare many delicious dishes. Placed on a windowsill or in a doorway, they are very decorative and last long into the winter. There are countless varieties and uses. You can find out what you should look out for when buying or harvesting here.

First clearing work in the garden

And of course, the first preparations for winter are already underway. The first beds are cleared and prepared for the winter or for the next season. Depending on the situation, green manure is sown to cover the bed. Winter spinach, for example, is a very good green manure and can be harvested the following spring.

Spinach as a green manure

So there's a lot to do in the garden month of September. Whether it's harvesting, tidying up, preparing for the next season or simply enjoying the last warm and sunny autumn days. Let's get on with it! But let's also not miss out on the last warm autumn evenings - with a grilled sausage and a good beer - in the garden with friends.

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