Herbs to plant in September

My garden was a blank canvas, mostly lawn. I’ve started the transformation to food forest, covering most of the back garden in a foot of chip. One of the first structures to go in, is a herb spiral which I finished yesterday.



The growing part is filled with logs, chip and old compost from tubs growing potatoes. I was planning on leaving it, mulched with chip, until the warm weather of spring.

Is there anything I can put in now? My local plant / garden centre has a big discount on perennials. Or should I wait until after the last frost next spring?

I’m in Lower Hudson zone 5. I can expect frosts anytime soon, although the next ten days look to be above freezing.

So much depends on one's ecosystem. Where I live, the expert locals always say the best time to plant a tree is November. That way the trees focus on establishing a strong root system.  

1. To some extent, it depends on just how good a sale - if the plants are cheap enough, you have little to loose.
2. If you have any idea "where the wind blows" in your garden, if you put the spiral where it will be protected from the weather vs being straight in the strongest blast, will make a difference.
3. If you have a plan, things that are going to get planted closer to ground level may be less likely to freeze than things planted at the very top.
4. You've got lots of wood chips, and they can add a little insulation to keep the roots from freezing, so that's also a plus.

Hopefully someone who knows your area will have a better idea.

If they have perrenials that I was going to get anyway,  I would jump at the good prices. If they only have ho hum not useful to me plants, I'd pass them up.

I definitely didn’t have my Permaculture head on when I posted this! (This is one of the reason I post so many questions here, my impulsive nature needs a sanity check, normally from Jay!)

I was chatting with my Mum and she’s been planting green manure so her raised bed has a cover crop during the winter. Then I saw the perennial plant sale and connecting the dots, thought I should get something in the ground. I forgot, I don’t live in the UK with it’s mild winters. This is will be my first winter in NY and can expect months of freezing cold and lots of snow, which is nothing like my previous garden in the UK where I could get a way with some fleece and a few cloches.

My herb spiral is currently very exposed. It’s in a wind corridor. It will be very sheltered when I build an extension and move the kitchen door to that side of the house. But that won’t happen before spring. So planting anything would be madness.

Instead, I’ll buy the herbs and keep them in pots on the sunny sheltered side of the house where I’ll install some cold frames. I can then transplant in spring.

I’ll be back soon with more questions, no doubt, as my 30+ years of gardening experience and books are all UK based.