September garden chores

I have a love-hate relationship with September. I love the canning and freezing and the fried green tomatoes I make with the last of the season's bounty, and the Montauk daisies when they finally begin to command attention. And I love that I can finally start moving around some plants that grew where they shouldn't have. But I hate that the month signals the end of summer and the return of structure to my life as the kids head back to school and the garden heads into dormancy. But there's still work to be done so that next spring, when it's time to do this all over again, everything will come up in its proper place.

1. Renovate or reseed the lawn.

2. Take cuttings of begonias and coleus and grow them indoors to transplant in May.

3. Pull weeds now, before they spew seeds.

4. If tomato plants are still producing blossoms, remove them; the remaining green fruit will ripen more quickly.

5. Test your soil and add lime, if necessary, to correct the pH.

6. It's Labor Day - time to grill some burgers and fertilize the lawn (but not a newly planted one) with a slow-release product.

7. Let's discuss the hits and misses of the season: Join me at noon for a live chat at newsday.com/gardendetective.

8. Sow lettuce and spinach now for fall picking.

9. Stop deadheading roses if you want hips to form; they're great for tea and pretty if left on the bush.

10. It's our Bloom Day! Upload photos of your garden at newsday.com/bloomday.

11. Plant perennials now so they can become established before frost hits.

12. Bring in tender pond plants and keep them moist by a sunny window.

13. Rinse vacationing houseplants to remove insects, then bring indoors.

14. Harvest grapes.

15. Order spring-blooming bulbs for planting next month.

16. When their tops flop over, pick onions, cure in the sun 3-5 days, then store indoors in a cool, dry spot.

17. Bring herbs like rosemary, chives and parsley indoors and place near a sunny window.

18. Divide perennials like phlox, coneflowers, black-eyed susans and daylilies.

19. Plant shrubs and water deeply. It's time to relocate existing ones, too.

20. When night frosts are predicted, bring in the last of the tomatoes.

21. Dig up gladiolus corms, elephant ears and cannas.

22. Cut down basil and parsley, pick off leaves, rinse and dry on paper towels overnight. Then freeze in zippered bags.

23. It's the first day of fall. Make vegetable soup with the last of the summer crops.

24. Clear out beds where mildew or black spot were present, rake well and discard all leaves and plant debris. Do not compost.

25. Plant witch hazel, red-twig dogwood, deciduous holly and beautyberry for dramatic winter interest.

26. Harvest pumpkins when they're a rich orange; leave several inches of stem attached to prevent rotting.

27. Got crickets in the house? Just vacuum them up and discard the bag.

28. Stop fertilizing houseplants and provide less frequent waterings until spring.

29. Clear out spent annuals, but let snapdragons, geraniums and Wave petunias keep blooming through fall.

30. Start planting trees when leaves in the neighborhood start changing color.