By Kerry Peetz
Colorado Master Gardener

Welcome to September in Colorado, the only place where you can get sunburned while covering your tomatoes to save them from a blizzard.

With the blistering, extreme heat of this past summer, old-timers are already whispering the forsaken four-letter word “s-n-o-w,” and we all know a sudden September dump isn’t completely out of the question. It is time to plan which plants get an indoor visa, which get a haircut and which get cut off before the first freeze takes over.

Here is a checklist to help with the start of our seasonal September garden shift.

Rose hibernation: Leave late-season blossoms alone because setting hips signals the bush to harden off for winter. Watch for black spot. Strip infected rose foliage immediately to stop fungal spores from wintering over in your soil.

Gladiolus eviction: Lift corms once leaves brown, then sun-cure them for a few days before dry winter storage.

Perennial math: Divide crowded spring-bloomers now, but leave budding asters and mums alone until they finish their show.

The indoor ticket: If you are saving them, get ready to move tender coleus, geraniums, caladiums, and begonias from the frost line to relocate them inside.

Amaryllis siesta: Exile amaryllis bulbs to a cool, dark basement for a mandatory three-month nap to trigger holiday blooms.

Cactus curfew: Force Christmas cacti into bud by providing chilly 55°F nights and strict, uninterrupted evening darkness.

Tomato smarts: Snip new blossoms and tiny fruits five weeks before frost because they will never finish growing and ripening anyway.

Cover up: Sow annual ryegrass or oats in empty beds for green manure, keeping them watered until winter locks them down.

Zero-weed policy: Eradicate weeds before they drop seeds! This will save yourself from pulling one thousand and eleven descendants next May.

Sprout strategy: Pinch out the top growing points of Brussels sprouts to force energy down into fattening the actual harvest.

Frost bluffing: Cover beds during early cold snaps and water deeply beforehand to buy your crops an extra month of life.

Chop or cherish: Cut back dead perennials post-frost, or leave the architectural seed heads standing for winter interest and to feed hungry birds.

Kitchen windowsills: Plan to dig and pot chives, parsley, and tender herbs to create a living spice rack indoors.

Bio-sanitation: Clear spent beds immediately, sealing diseased foliage in bags rather than composting the pathogens.

Pear precision: Pluck pears while still light green using a gentle upward twisting motion, then ripen them indoors.

Raspberry reset: Snip spent, woody raspberry canes right at the ground level once they finish fruiting to make room for next year’s canes.

Submit gardening questions to csumg2@elpasoco.com or call 719-520-7684. The in-person help desk is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Visit elpaso.extension.colostate.edu and register for upcoming classes at epcextension.eventbrite.com.