September - Harvest veg, collect seed, take cuttings, and prepare for 2022

• As the early flowering plants begin to fade, choose a warm, dry day to collect seed and store in paper envelopes or pouches made from folded kitchen paper

• Take cuttings of most half-hardy or tender perennials such as fuchsias, salvias and pelargoniums, as well as semi-ripe cuttings of woody shrubs such as rosemary and lavender

• Fill in any gaps in the garden with spring bedding such as pansies, forget-me-nots and bellis

• Many hardy annuals such as cornflower, Ammi, and sweet peas can also be sown now for an early display next summer

• September and October perfect times to divide congested clumps of many perennials after they have finished flowering. Dig up, divide, replant, and water-in well. The warmth of the soil will mean they will re-establish quickly. If the clump is very large it is usually best to only take new plants from the edge and discard the older, woody centre.

• In the vegetable garden, continue to pick beans, peas, tomatoes, courgettes, and cucumbers to continue your supply

• Winter onions and garlic (hardneck) can be planted now, but not in the same location as the previous crop - ideally, rotate vegetable beds on a three- or four-year cycle: Onions and Roots > Potatoes > Brassicas > Legumes.

• The rain of July and August has kept lawns green and growing, but now is the time to scarify to remove thatch, aerate, and apply a lawn feed suitable for autumn application (low nitrogen, high potassium) as well as addressing weeds with selective herbicides if required. New areas of grass should be sown now, or thin areas of lawn raked and overseeded.