ETX Gardening Must-Do’s for September? Experts Share Advice Here

For any aspiring gardener in Tyler, Longview, Lindale, or anywhere across East Texas, there are certain things one needs to do during the month of September to help your garden grow.

Every year I try to learn a bit more about gardening. But I often want to know what to do specifically here in East Texas.

There are undeniable benefits to digging in the soil. It's stress-relieving, it makes everything more beautiful, and there's something very primal about putting your hands in the dirt and encouraging life to grow.

I can't recall ever regretting spending time outside in the garden and/or doing lawn care. It leaves you happily tired, it's "useful exercise," and if you plant food or herbs, then you have the added benefit of enjoying the fruits of your labor in the weeks or months to come. Win-Win.

Although I read gardening magazines sometimes, often they're more general in nature rather than East Texas-specific.

And as you and I both know, what grows well here and the best things to do at what time are very different if you live in California or Pennsylvania, as opposed to right here in East Texas. 

So I was thrilled to run across a resource that offers specific gardening tips for us right here in our neck of the woods.

So if you're an aspiring master gardener like I am, or you've already been sporting a green thumb for years and just want a refresher, here are some East Texas-specific must-do's for the month of September for your gardening endeavors right here at home, courtesy of Greg Grant of agrilife.org:

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September Gardening Tips for East Texas:

Prepare your beds. Now is a great time to start adding compost to your beds to help enrich the soil and prepare it for your plantings. If you're considering planting oxblood and/or spider lily bulbs, Grant suggests you "dig and divide them while they're in bloom or when they just finish."

You'll want to add around 3 inches of mulch to help stop weeds from growing. Plus mulch is a great protectant against any potential winter damage. And if we have another winter storm like we did early this year, that'll be even more important.

It's time to plant those cool-weather leafy veggies! These may include parsley, cilantro, dill, kale, lettuce, spinach, collards, broccoli, etc. I planted kale a couple of years ago for the first time, and it was so much fun to watch it come to fruition. And I didn't even know we COULD grow broccoli in ETX. :)

If you have them, you'll want to cease adding fertilizer to any remaining tropical or warm weather perennials. This is also a good time to trim those hedges and shrubs one last time before the cold weather.

Speaking of trimming, Grant suggests a light shearing of rose bushes and even antique roses if you'd like to see lovely fall blooms. However, he says it's best to "stop shearing fall blooming perennials such as garden mums, cigar plant, and Mexican bush sage to allow for fall blooms."

Don't you just love seeing those wildflowers in the spring? If you do, then NOW is the time to plant them. You'll only need to barely cover them for the best results. Though, you do wanna tamp the soil down.

This is a good month to "winterize" your lawn. You can the recommended ratios via the link we've added below, not to mention get more info about the process.

We've got to keep an eye out for flies, mites, aphids, and all those other lovely flying creatures that like to wreak havoc on your garden. You may wanna pick up some insecticidal soap or something similar to manage them.

Procure mums and pansies!! I love fall flowers. I swear, there are few easier ways to give yourself and your porch a mood boost than planting a bunch of pansies. Though the name suggests they're little week flowers, I've often found them to be some of the heartiest little flowers I've ever met. ;) As long as you care for them a little.

More details on how to do just that? As well as check out other solutions, concoctions, and whatnot you may want to consider applying to your veggies and other "green things?" Dig in even deeper into a wealth of info for any other would-be master gardeners here.