September gardening tips: lawn care and which winter vegetables to sow
How to scarify a lawn, sow winter carrots, turnips and salads, and choose durable boots for autumn work
Loving your lawn
To keep your lawn (pelouse) healthy, you need to scarify (or dethatch) it once or twice a year. This removes the fine layer of old grass stems, dead moss and other debris such as leaves that get compacted over time.
September is one of those months, and you will need a special tool, a dethatcher (scarificateur) equipped with sharp blades that will cut into the soil a few millimetres deep, aerate it, and remove the suffocating thatch.
There are three main types: manual, electric and gas-powered. The choice will depend mainly on the size of your garden.
Model pictured, €259 without battery pack and charger, €429 with battery pack and charger.
Potager jobs this month
As you harvest the last of your summer fruits, thoughts must also turn to preparing the vegetable garden for winter crops. Sow carrots and turnips directly in the ground, as well as winter radish varieties such as Rose d’hiver de Chine and Violet de Gournay. Winter salads (lamb’s lettuce, chicory, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, escarole) can be sown too – harvest them in early spring.
Best foot forward
Serious gardeners spend a lot of time in their bottes de jardin (gardening boots), so finding a pair that combines quality, comfort and affordability is important.
French manufacturer Blackfox produces a reasonably priced range, including this Tennessee boot, made primarily of natural rubber, providing protection up to the knee while remaining extremely flexible.
The lugged sole is slip-resistant and features a spade-shaped reinforcement, while it adjusts to the calf size thanks to a faux-leather buckle. Price, €49 from Jardiland.
