October

As winter is well on its way and the dark nights are drawing in there are still many jobs that can be done around the garden. 

Make the most of any dry days to paint fences and sheds before the rain sets in.

If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, October is the ideal time to give it a good clean out of old leaves, compost and pots and disinfect all the surfaces to prevent pests and diseases spreading over winter. Replace the insulation and check your heater if you are planning on overwintering any tender plants.

Lawn care

Looking after your lawn in October should include removing fallen leaves and maybe giving the grass a final cut before winter. It is also a good time to reseed any area that has become damaged or worn by mixing some grass seed with compost. In October there is still enough warmth in the soil to allow germination and rain will help with the watering.

October is also an ideal time to aerate your lawn too, you can do this simply by using a fork to make holes in your lawn10-15cm deep. Doing this will reduce water logging and help prevent soil compaction and the spread of disease.

Straighten up the edges of the lawn with an edging iron before the winter sets in and doing it now means that it will remain tidy until spring.

The flower garden

Lift Dahlia tubers and Begonia corms to store over the winter, find a cool dark frost free place to let them dry out to prevent disease. Remove any dead leaves and check for pests prior to storing.

You can take hardwood cuttings in October from shrubs such as Salix, Cornus, Continus, Rosa and Forsythia making sure you use a clean sharp knife. Once you have selected good material use a rooting powder before putting the cuttings in a 50/50 perlite and compost mix to encourage root growth.

Prune climbing roses when they finish flowering and tie up any loose stems that could be damaged by the wind. Clear any fallen leaves from your roses to help prevent blackspot. If your roses already have blackspot don’t compost the leaves, remove them from the site as the spores can live among the rotting leaves that are left and can pass the infection on.

Cut back and clear any perennial plants that have died down, after weeding and tidying the garden borders and beds use mulch such as bark chippings or well rotted manure to protect the plant roots over the winter and suppress weeds.

Vegetables

Finish harvesting any remaining peas and beans and simply cut the plant away at ground level. Leaving the roots in the soil will give back nutrients as they break down. If you intend to plant more beans and peas next year you can start to prep the area now by digging out a trench and filling it with well rotted manure.

Harvest any pumpkins before the frost hits as they can quickly turn to mush if left outside. If you have Rhubarb this is the ideal time to split any congested clumps with a spade and replant the healthiest looking pieces.