Zone 3 - What to Plant in September

Zone 3 - What to Plant in September

Zone 3 growers typically don't have too many options to plant in September. With your first frost right around the corner theres not much hardy enough to withstand the cold weather thats coming. That being said, September is the perfect time to plant garlic and cover crops in your garden. Planting garlic in September will give it an early start come spring. Cover crops are good for naturally adding back nutrients to your garden. Below is a list of items that can be planted in zone 3 in September.

The Barkant Forage Turnip is an improved, early maturing, diploid turnip variety with a large purple tankard shaped bulb. Turnips have a high leaf to stem ratio and and provide very high concentrations of protein, sugar content and leaf yields. This turnip is ideally suited for grazing and it is common to obtain 4-6 tons of dry matter per acre of this high-energy feed.  Uses: Chicken forage, deer attractant, forage

The Common Flax is a cool season annual broadleaf with small taproots and very small, narrow leaves that are less than an inch long. This variety's stems are branched near the base of the plant, with plants reaching 30 to 36 inches in height. The multiple stems or branches of a flax plant are slender and flexible, bearing attractive blue flowers. Flax has the same performance benefits of other grasses and grains, of quick germination and a highly fibrous root mass. Flax will take up excess N and other minerals, will winter kill and provide moderate to high amounts of organic matter back to the soil. Flax provides excellent mulch for protection of erosion and improving water permeation during the winter and spring. Flax (Linum usitatissimum): Cool season, broadleaf, Annual, Upright plant habit Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Erosion Control, Green Manure, Nitrogen Savenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass)

Using the Field Peas and Oats Blend throughout your garden is a great way to fix nitrogen and add organic matter to the soil! This blend contains a great ratio of grass and legume cover crop for fixing nitrogen, winter cover, weed suppression and more. The Field Peas and Oats Blend should be sown from early spring to late summer. Sow no later than 6 weeks before first fall frost in your area. This variety is gold hardy enough to grow long into the fall leaving behind a great mulch for soil protection. (75% peas / 25% oats by weight) Seed Coverage: - 5 lbs covers 2,000-4,000 sqaure feet - 100 lbs covers 1-2 acres Uses: Deer Attractant, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression

The Secada Forage Pea is a relatively new forage pea that has a wide range of uses such as forage, green manure, weed suppression and more! This forage pea is highly palatable, self-climbing and with high dry matter yields. A fast growing, cool-season annual legume, the Secada Forage Pea performs very well during the fall, winter and spring in Southern states. In more northern climes, an early spring plant will give high dry matter yields of excellent forage. Uses: Chicken Forage, Deer Attractant, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression

The Nootka Rose garlic is certified, and has a strong and aggressive flavor great for cooking. The Nootka Rose garlic was created on a farm in Washington State. The cloves have a dark coloration that are typically brown with red streaks. The Nootka Rose's bulbs tend to yield anywhere from 15-24 cloves each. This variety is a very long storing silverskin garlic. Approximately 12-15 garlic bulbs per pound. Approximately 15-24 cloves per bulb.

The Crimson Clover is an attractive winter annual that can be planted fall or early spring and will protect and improve the soil. This good nitrogen fixer (70-150 lbs per acre per year) blooms showy crimson flowers in late spring that are an excellent source of nectar for bees. This variety inter-seeds well with grass, making it a great way to ready your vegetable garden for the spring or beautify a landscape! Not to be confused with the tough perennial clovers that can take over a meadow. Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Compaction Control, Deer Attractant, Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Weed Suppression

The Texas Cream is a heavy yielding Southern cowpea that is great for fresh shelling. This variety is very similarly to 'Sadandy' but the cowpeas are slightly larger. These bush-type plants are prolific and thrive in hotter, Southern weather. Texas Cream is a "cream pea" type variety, they are generally used at the fresh shelling stage. Treated Seed.

All of the seeds below are very good at attracting deer to your property! Buckwheat - Improves top soil and an effective choke weed! Plant late spring to early summer. Establishes quickly. Matures in 60 days. Accumulates phosphorus and and potassium for following crops. Frost sensitive. All below packages come in 1lb. bags. Crimson Clover - Winter annual protects and improves soil! Plant fall or early spring. A good nitrogen fixer (70-150 lbs per acre per year). Showy crimson blooms in late spring are an excellent source of nectar for bees. Inter-seeds well with grass. Austrian Winter Pea - A great cool season legume for cover crops, wildlife and winter grazing! Austrian winter pea, sometimes called "black pea" and "field pea" is a cool-season, annual legume with good, nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Austrian winter pea is a low-growing, viny legume which has been shown to fix over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year. Peas - Grow regular old peas in your deer food plot. One of the most preferred vegetables for deer. Oats - Oats will kill off winter weeds and hold soil with a mat of vegetation! A high yielding oat that can produce over 100 bushels per acre. Plant anytime of the year. Deer will graze oats all year round. Barkant Forage Turnip - Great forage crop that provides high energy feed! Barkant turnips are an improved, early maturing, diploid turnip wtih a large purple tankard shaped bulb. Barkant turnips have a high leaf to stem ratio and and provide very high contentrations of protein, sugar content and leaf yields. Barkant Turnips are ideally suited for wildlife. Dwarf Essex Rape - A cabbage related plant that is a perfect grazer! Dwarf Essex Rape is a perfect grazer plant that will persist well after the first frost. Ready to pasture 6-8 weeks after sowing. Hairy Vetch - Sow with or without grain, grass or field peas! When sown late summer, grows fast and will attract wildlife. Hairy Vetch has rapid growth that makes it a good weed suppressant.

The German Extra Hardy garlic is a prolific producer of long rooted garlic that can store in the ground throughout winter. This variety has pale white skin with dark red cloves. The German Extra Hardy has a strong raw flavor and high sugar content, making it one of the very best for roasting. Hardneck, 4-7 cloves per bulb.

The Mandan Wildrye Grass is a fast growing, cool-season, perennial bunch-grass that is a great choice for erosion control. It can be planted early or late fall, but for best results, Mandan Wildrye should be planted in the spring. This hardy grass performs well on most soil types. The Mandan Wildrye produces and brown seed head and can grow up to 4 feet! Uses: Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed suppression

The Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass grain variety that can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. except in the southeastern states. It is typically found in prairies, open woods, fields and disturbed sites. This grain tends to be short-lived but provides quick stabilization for erosion control seedings, and it makes a good, early successional component of prairie mixtures. The Canada Wildrye provides quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

The Elbon Rye is a grain that is the best choice for fast, cool-season germination that prevents erosion and builds organic matter in the soil! Plant this variety early to late fall; in mild climates fall through early spring. This grain captures soil nutrients in the fall to release in spring when worked into the soil. The Elbon Rye can reach up to 5 feet! Cereal Rye (Secale cereale L.): Cool season, grass, Annual or perennial, Upright plant growth, Crude protein: straw 4%, grain 14%, C:N ratio: 40-48, Self pollinator (wind) Uses: Erosion Control, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed suppression

The Big Boy Purplehull is a high yielding, popular Southern cowpea that is great for home gardens. Big Boy Purplehull is a long podded variety with 13-16 peas per pod that are light tan in color and oblong shape. This is a good garden variety and is very prolific. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The Frontier Grazer Rye is a grain that makes a great cover crop to prevent erosion and build up organic matter in the soil! Plant this variety early to late fall; in mild climates fall through early spring. The best choice for fast, cool-season germination. The Frontier Grazer Rye captures soil nutrients in the fall to release in spring when worked into the soil. Uses: Erosion Control, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression<

The Buffalo Grass is a warm-season grass that is the predominant component of the shortgrass prairies of the Great Plains. Once established, it is extremely drought tolerant and tough. It can be used as a xeriscape lawn grass for water conservation, and it is a common component in range mixtures. White Tailed Deer, Bison and Prairie Dogs utilize it for forage, and it is a larval host for the Green Skipper. Plants are stoloniferous and can invade flower beds if an edging or barrier is not used.

The Winter Rye is a tall grain cover crop that can reach up to be 5 feet tall and prevents erosion and builds organic matter in the soil. This grain can be planted early to late fall and in mild climates, fall through early spring. This grain is the best choice for fast, cool-season germination. The Winter Rye captures soil nutrients in the fall to release in spring when worked into the soil. Uses: Erosion Control, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed suppression

The Elite cowpea is a bush type cream southern pea that produces heavy yields of 7" pods with cowpeas that are delicious and easy to shell. This cowpea is one of the most productive of all the cream peas. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The Packer Forage Pea, or Canadian field pea, is a cool-season legume that is used for cover crops, wildlife and winter grazing! This annual legume has good nitrogen-fixing capabilities. The Packer Forage Pea is a low-growing, viny legume which has been shown to fix over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year. Uses: Chicken Forage, Deer Attractant, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression