Tucson Planting Calendar - September

Table of Contents:

Planting
Harvesting
Weeding
1. Weeds to Pull
  1. Needle Grama
More Tucson Planting Guides

Curious what to plant in Tucson in September? September is a super busy month for Tucson gardeners! As other climates are winding down, we're prepping for what is essentially our "second spring."

It's exciting and stressful simultaneously, but I really love it.

Autumn is quickly approaching and as the temps drop below 100F, often for the first time in months, there's a ton of new possibilities that open up!

tucson average temperatures all months highlight on september — *Tucson average daily high drops from 96F to 91F over the month of September.*
*Overnight average lows drop from 74F to 66F during September.*

There's still time to direct sow seeds for warm shoulder season crops, like beans and summer squash.

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Keep in mind if you've waited until September to sow your squash and beans, you'll likely get a harvest but will be racing against the frost. This is a risk that has panned out for me enough that I choose to keep planting warm season until September 1st.

It's also another short potato season if you want to grow fingerings - get you chitted potatoes in the ground ASAP.

At the same time, there are endless winter crops which can be started from seed indoors.

You can get the jump on the upcoming cool season while your warm shoulder season crops are growing in the field.

seedling starting cabbage and onions cell pack under LED — *Starting cabbage and onions indoors in cell packs under LED light early September.*
*These will go out into the field late next month.*

With all the excitement comes a lot of work, but consistency and diligence in your indoor seed-starting in September will pay off big in a month or two.

Don't stop planting seeds, but remember to enjoy the process!

Planting

Cover Crops & Forage

Always listed first as cover crops are the most important crops to grow in my opinion!

September opens up the world of cool season cover crops to you, and there are plenty of good choices.

When in doubt, definitely try a mixed polycrop with your covers. Diversity always helps in the garden to limit your failures and increase your chances of success.

1st Half of September

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Cowpea, Flax, Millet, Sesame

DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn, Cowpea

2nd Half of September

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Common Vetch, Crimson Clover, Hairy Vetch, Flax, Forage Radish, Oilseed Radish, Red Clover, Tillage Radish, Yellow Sesame, Sweetclover, White Sweetclover

DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn, Cowpea

Herbs

You can finish moving your warm season herbs outside in September, as you begin to look towards cool season herbs.

Get a jump on the cool season herbs indoors from seed while you finish up moving the final warm season herbs to the field.

1st Half of September

SOW INDOORS:

Cilantro, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Tarragon

DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Basil

2nd Half of September

SOW INDOORS:

Cilantro, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Tarragon

DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Basil

Fruits & Vegetables

1st Half of September

SOW INDOORS:

Artichoke, Arugula, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cardoon, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Chives, Collards, Cucumber, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mustard, Napa, Onions, Romanesco, Spinach, Swiss Chard

DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

Bush Bean, Cucumber, Potato, Summer Squash, Tepary Bean

HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Basil, Bush Beans, Celery, Chili Pepper, Cucumber, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Tepary Bean, Tomato, Zucchini

2nd Half of September

SOW INDOORS:

Artichoke, Arugula, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cardoon, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Chickpea, Chives, Collards, Endive, Escarole, Fava Bean, Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lentil, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mustard, Napa, Onions, Romanesco, Spinach, Swiss Chard

DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

Arugula, Beet, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Chicory, Chickpea, Collards, Cucumber, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lentil, Mustard, Napa, Parsnip, Radish, Romanesco, Rutabaga, Swiss Chard, Turnip

HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Chicory, Chili Pepper, Chickpea, Collards, Cucumber, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lentil, Mustard, Napa, Romanesco, Sweet Pepper, Swiss Chard

swiss chard seedlings micro soil blocks bright lights variety — *Swiss Chard seedlings in soil blocks ready to go out into the garden in late-September*

It's worth noting that squash vine borer pressure is greatly reduced in the desert in autumn as compared to spring.

You may be able to get away with fewer zucchini plants in the fall vs the spring because of this.

september crops direct sown in tucson organic garden — *Crops direct sown on September 1st in Tucson showing growth later in the month.*

*Swiss chard, radish, napa cabbage, parsnip, turnip, carrot, pac choi, beet all great September crops in the Sonoran Desert.*

september cool season crops direct sown in tucson organic garden — *Same crops taking off great with some solid growth by September 18th. Everything was direct sown on September 1st.*

Grains, Seeds, & Cereals

1st Half of September

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Flax, Millet, Sesame

DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn

1st Half of September

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Flax, Millet, Quinoa, Sesame

DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn

Flowers

1st Half of September

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

PLANT FROM BULB:

2nd Half of September

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Desert Chia

PLANT FROM BULB:

Keep in mind that there may still be lingering days of 105F - 110F early in September.

Get the last of your warm season crops out, like beans, cucumbers, and squash. That is if you're willing to risk a small harvest due to a possible early frost. This bet could pay off big, though

summer squash in tucson planted september 1st organic — *Summer squash (zucchini, yellow straightneck, grey squash)*

*Transplanted into the field on September 1st, I was seeing flowers before the end of September.*

Consider your risk tolerance for losing some early cool season seedlings to lingering heat, vs waiting until next month to direct sow cool season seeds.

If you do direct sow cool season crops in September, be extra sure to water the top layer of soil lightly at least 1x per day, ideally 2-3x per day for the first week while seedlings germinate.

september tucson regenerative garden brassicas bok choy turnips radish napa — *Cool season brassicas started September 1st in Tucson.*
Seen here by the end of September

Radish, Turnip, Bok Choy, Napa

September can be harsh on cool season seedlings, but if you can see them through it you can get a great early jump on the upcoming season.

Harvesting

Produce

peppers growing in september desert gardening — *Peppers planted in Tucson in May are ready for harvesting and saving seeds by mid-September*

1st Half of September

2nd Half of September

Seed Saving

1st Half of September

Peppers

2nd Half of September

Peppers

Cut Flowers

1st Half of September

Gaillardia

2nd Half of September

Gaillardia

Weeding

Weeds to Pull

Needle Grama

Watch out for needle grama (Bouteloua aristidoides) this month. It's easy to pull, scythe, or weed-wack but it goes to seed rapidly.

Needle grama is at its worst in Tucson in September, especially after a heavy monsoon. It doesn't tolerate winter frosts well, however. For this reason, it will race to go to seed before November. Just keep it pulled or chopped back until November if you don't want grama in your garden, and you're fine.

Remember that while chopping back grama may be work, it's also adding carbon to your soil. Chop it before it goes to seed, and it makes a great mulch of addition to your compost. If nature wants to grow grama, utilize those nutrients to help you grow more of what you like.