Seeds to Sow in September

As our heatwaves abate in Napa County and we grab the last few weeks of a fully abundant harvest of summer crops, this first day of September meets us with the cooler weather that fall and winter crops thrive in. This month’s activities include harvesting, planting, and seed saving.

Harvesting

The patience and labor expended last month brings an abundance of warm weather crops now, including, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, squashes. Pumpkins are gaining their largest growth this month and corn turns its colors on leaves and kernels to signal fall. Enjoy the bounty and note which plants produced the healthiest, most beautiful, and delicious fruit, flowers, and leaves throughout their growing season.

Planting

For a variety of fall and winter harvests, directly sow seed from root vegetables (carrots, beets, radish) into the soil. If you want wildflowers next spring, now is great time to start spreading these seeds which. These seeds benefit from cold stratification, a period when they are buried in the soil over the winter months, so they pop up easily as the soil gradually warms out of the wet season into spring. Flowers like snapdragon, viola, lavender, and pansy are all great to sow directly right now. Label where you’ve planted them and watch for surprises next spring. Some seeds will benefit from starting indoors. As Brigette from San Diego Seed Company says: “If you love cole crops (cruciferous vegetables or Brassica plants), then this is YOUR TIME. Don't wait until the cool weather has already hit to plant them (kale, cabbage, broccoli, collards). If you have a greenhouse, consider starting your seeds in a cooler environment.”

Seed Saving

If you planned to save seeds from certain plants back in spring, now is the time to harvest, thresh, and winnow those seeds for next season. Find out which are the five easiest seeds to save (all are ready this month) by binge-watching this playlist created just for Napa County to increase our locally adapted seed sources. Don’t forget to donate some seeds to the seed libraries!

Veggies 🍆🌽🍉
Bean, Beet*^, Broccoli, Brussels sprout*, Cabbage*, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chard, Celery, Collard , Endive, Kale*, Leek, Lettuce*, Maché, Parsnip, Pea, Radish, Radicchio, Spinach*, Swiss chard, Turnip

Herbs 🌱🪴🍃
Chives, Chervil, Cilantro, Fennel, Lemon balm, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme, Watercress

Flowers 🌼🪻🌻
Calendula, Columbine, Cosmos, Echinacea, Carnation, Larkspur, Lavender, Nasturtium, Nigella, Pansy, Poppy, Rudbeckia, Snapdragon, Wildflowers