I can't believe August is over already but here are my Gardening tips for September. Firstly, keep on picking peas and beans. Like their ornamental relative the sweetpea, they really are more productive if you keep on picking! Give some to friends and neighbours, and pop some in the freezer if you can’t keep up!

Herbs

Up, up and away - herbs are go!

Even the simplest cheese sandwich or the most basic meal can be transformed by the addition of a few fresh herbs. There’s nothing to beat the gorgeous flavours and ‘zing’ that home grown herbs can add to your cooking. The great thing is that it is simple to grow your own….right now! Forget those dried up greyish green crispy flakes of herbs that lurk in little bottles and boxes on the supermarket shelves. Grab some compost and a good sized container and get growing your own real herbs with REAL flavour! Use an existing container or buy something special. But remember, herbs don't need a deep container so you can use one of the Shallow Oxford Planters. If space is short and you have a sunny wall then you could go for an eight-pocket Herb Wall Planter. Just think eight different herbs to choose from!

Veg

At this stage things are really slowing up so you’ll want to look after the plants really well. Pick off the fading flowers on courgettes and squash if the weather is damp. If left in place they’re likely to cause the crop to rot. You may need to remove badly mildewed leaves too. Leave anything which is basically green on the plant as it’ll still be ‘useful’ and help to feed those slower growing fruits.

Flowers

Plant up some containers with spring-flowering bulbs. A good idea is to use a single variety of either daffodils or tulips for impact. They will look absolutely gorgeous and make a very striking and bold display. Plant the container up in two layers. So that one lot of bulbs is planted a couple of inches deeper than the next layer. If you do this you should find that the display is prolonged slightly as the deeper ones will be flowering somewhat later. So that's it for gardening tips for September. Enjoy yourselves in the garden