September is a different kind of growing month. The summer crops are finishing. The tomatoes are still ripening on the windowsill, the last beans coming off the plant, courgettes slowing down. The light is changing. The mornings are darker. The season is unmistakably turning.
And yet September is one of the most important planting months of the entire Irish year.
Everything you plant in September, you plant for your future self. The garlic goes in now and comes up in June. The daffodils go in now and flower in March. The spring cabbages transplanted now will be on the table in April. Nothing you do this month will reward you quickly, but everything you do this month will reward you when it matters most, in the depths of winter and the first weeks of spring.
That is a genuinely unusual thing to teach children through growing. September planting is an act of trust in the future.
What to plant in September in Ireland: The full list
| What to plant | Sow or plant? | Results when? | Good for kids? |
| Garlic | Plant cloves direct | June to July next year | ⭐⭐⭐ Children can push cloves in themselves. Long game growing that teaches patience. |
| Daffodil bulbs | Plant direct, 10–15cm deep | March to April next year | ⭐⭐⭐ Easy to handle, fast to plant. Children love seeing them come back each year. |
| Crocus bulbs | Plant direct, 5–8cm deep | February to March next year | ⭐⭐⭐ Tiny bulbs, tiny flowers. Often the very first colour of the new year. |
| Tulip bulbs | Plant direct, 15–20cm deep | April to May next year | ⭐⭐ Best planted in October in Ireland. Wait another month for best results. |
| Allium bulbs | Plant direct, 10cm deep | May to June next year | ⭐⭐ Dramatic globe flowers that children find striking. Very easy to grow. |
| Spring onion sets | Sow direct, overwintering variety | April to May next year | ⭐⭐ Japanese overwintering onions go in now for the earliest spring harvest. |
| Spring cabbage | Transplant seedlings sown in July | March to May next year | ⭐ Long-game crop. Worth doing if seedlings are ready. |
| Winter salads | Sow direct or in a pot (early Sept only) | October to November | ⭐⭐ Land cress and lamb's lettuce still possible in very early September. |
The most important September job is plant your garlic
If you do one thing in the September garden, plant garlic. It is the most distinctly Irish September job, traditional planting time was around the autumn equinox, which falls on the 22nd of this month, and it requires almost nothing in terms of skill or equipment.
How to plant garlic with children
Buy a bulb of hardneck garlic from a garden centre or seed supplier. Irish conditions suit hardneck varieties, they need a cold period to develop properly, which Irish winters reliably provide. Break the bulb into individual cloves. Keep the papery skin on.
Push each clove into the soil or compost pointed end up, flat end down. The tip of the clove should be about 2cm below the surface. Space them 10–15cm apart. That is it. No watering needed in September, the autumn rain will do the work.
Children can do every part of this themselves from about age three. The cloves are large enough to handle easily. The planting action is satisfying. And the gap between planting and harvest (nine months) gives the growing year its longest teaching moment.
In June, when shoots appear and begin to dry at the base, your child will pull up a whole bulb of garlic from the same small clove they pushed into the ground in September. That nine-month arc is one of the most powerful things growing can teach.
Where to plant garlic
Garlic grows well in a pot, a deep pot of at least 25cm, as well as in the ground. It needs good drainage. Avoid waterlogged soil or compost that sits wet, as the cloves will rot over winter. A pot on a windowsill or balcony works well for families without a garden.
Plant spring bulbs
September is the beginning of the spring bulb planting window in Ireland. Daffodils and crocuses can go in now. Tulips are better left until October when the soil is cooler. Alliums go in now too.
Spring bulbs are the ideal September planting project for children because the gap between planting and reward is short enough to remember. A child who plants crocuses in September will see the first purple and yellow flowers pushing through the cold ground in February, often before any other colour appears in the garden. That first crocus of the year is one of the most disproportionately exciting moments in the entire growing calendar.
How deep to plant spring bulbs
- Daffodils: 10–15cm deep, 10–15cm apart
- Crocuses: 5–8cm deep, 5cm apart. Can be scattered randomly and planted where they fall for a natural effect.
- Alliums: 10cm deep, 15–20cm apart
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Tulips: 15–20cm deep, 10–15cm apart. Wait until October for best results in Ireland.
The rule of thumb for bulb depth is to plant at two to three times the height of the bulb. A crocus bulb that is 2cm tall goes in at 4–6cm depth. A daffodil bulb that is 5cm tall goes in at 10–15cm depth.
Children can plant spring bulbs entirely independently with a bulb planter, a tool that removes a neat core of soil to the right depth. Push down, twist, remove, drop the bulb in, replace the soil. Satisfying at any age and a good way to plant a larger number of bulbs without it becoming laborious.
What is still growing and harvesting in September
September is not only about planting forward. There is still a great deal happening in the Irish garden and hedgerow this month.
In the garden
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Tomatoes: Bring them indoors to a warm windowsill if night temperatures are dropping below 10°C. They will continue to ripen off the vine.
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Runner beans and French beans: Still producing but slowing. Pick everything that is ready. Leave one or two pods on the plant to dry fully for seed saving.
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Sweetcorn: Peel back a husk and pierce a kernel. Milky white juice means it is ready. Clear juice means it needs more time. No juice means it is overripe.
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Courgettes and squash: Last courgettes of the year. Squash should be left on the plant until the first hard frost threatens, then harvested and stored in a cool dry place.
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Kale: Getting better each week. Tastes sweeter after the first cold nights.
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Root vegetables: Carrots, beetroot and parsnips can all be left in the ground. Parsnips are better after frost. Pull as needed rather than all at once.
In the hedgerow
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Blackberries: Peak picking month. Pick before Samhain (31st October) according to the old Irish belief, when the Púca spoils them.
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Elderberries: Deep purple clusters are ready now. Use for cordial or syrup. Don't eat raw.
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Rosehips: Beginning to colour on rose plants. Rich in vitamin C, good for syrup.
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Hazelnuts: Falling from trees now. A true sign of September.
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Sloes: Small dark berries on blackthorn. Very tart raw, excellent in sloe gin for the adults.
September and the autumn equinox
The autumn equinox falls on the 22nd of September. It's the moment when day and night are equal before the dark half of the year begins. In the Celtic seasonal calendar, this is one of the eight points of the year that mark the turning.
It is not a major festival in the Irish tradition in the same way that Bealtaine or Samhain are but it was noticed. The equinox was a moment of balance before imbalance. From the 23rd onwards, the nights are longer than the days, and they will continue to lengthen until the winter solstice in December.
Planting garlic and spring bulbs around the equinox connects the growing calendar to something older. You are doing what Irish families have done at this time of year for generations, putting things in the ground before winter arrives, trusting that the light will return.
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Frequently asked questions
What can I plant in September in Ireland?
The most important September planting in Ireland is garlic. Plant individual cloves now for a harvest next June. Spring bulbs also go in during September: daffodils, crocuses and alliums can all be planted now, with tulips better left until October. Overwintering spring onion sets and spring cabbage transplants are also September jobs. Winter salads such as land cress and lamb's lettuce can be sown in very early September but the window closes quickly as temperatures drop.
When should I plant garlic in Ireland?
Plant garlic in Ireland from mid-September through to November. Traditional planting time was around the autumn equinox on the 22nd of September. Use hardneck varieties for Irish conditions. They need a cold period over winter to develop properly, which Irish winters reliably provide. Plant individual cloves pointed end up, 2cm below the surface, 10–15cm apart. Garlic planted in September will be ready to harvest the following June.
When should I plant spring bulbs in Ireland?
Daffodils, crocuses and alliums can be planted from September onwards in Ireland. Tulips are better planted in October when the soil is cooler, which helps prevent the bulbs rotting. Plant daffodils 10–15cm deep, crocuses 5–8cm deep, and alliums 10cm deep. All spring bulbs benefit from good drainage — avoid waterlogged soil. Bulbs planted in September will flower from February (crocuses) through to May (alliums).
Is it too late to plant anything in September in Ireland?
September is a significant planting month in Ireland, not a closing one. Garlic and spring bulbs represent some of the most rewarding September plantings of the year. In early September there is still time to sow winter salads such as land cress and lamb's lettuce. The growing season for summer crops is ending, but September is the beginning of the forward-looking planting season that sets up the garden for spring.
What is still growing in the Irish garden in September?
Tomatoes, beans, sweetcorn, courgettes and squash are all still producing in September, though slowing as temperatures drop. Kale improves in September and gets sweeter with the first cold nights. Root vegetables such as carrots, beetroot and parsnips, can be left in the ground and pulled as needed. In the hedgerow, blackberries are at their peak in September, with elderberries, rosehips and hazelnuts also ready to pick.
