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Steve Ott and Emma Rawlings

Jobs for October

Shorter days mean a slowing in growth on our plots and in our greenhouses, but there is still plenty to do in the way of harvesting and tending to over wintering crops. And thanks to increasingly mild autumn weather, many of us have enjoyed an extended season in recent years, so fingers crossed for this season, too!

 

October at a glance

Sowing now...
• Winter lettuce
• Peas
• Sweet peas
• Endive (early in the month)
• Salad leaves (under cloches)
• Perpetual spinach (early in the month)

Planting now...
• Spring cabbage
• Garlic
• Shallots

Harvest now...
• Apples
• Pears
• Blackberries
• Autumn raspberries
• Squashes
• Marrows
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Carrots
• Salad leaves
• Spinach (early in the month)
• Perpetual spinach
• Tomatoes
• Aubergines
• Chicory
• Swiss chard
• Turnips
• Swedes
• Grapes

Harvest now...
• Potatoes
• Beetroot
• Carrots

Jobs for the month
Fruit in brief

• Remove the old canes from summer-fruiting raspberries and blackberries, cutting them down to ground level. Tie in the new canes which will produce next season’s fruit.

• Continue to harvest apples as they ripen. Check the fruit of early varieties which may already be in store to make sure that none are rotting. Use any that are to prevent them from spoiling the rest.

• Blueberries have wonderful autumn leaf colours, so move potted specimens of them to a place where they can be seen and enjoyed.

Jobs for the month• If birds, deer or squirrels take their toll on your fruit every year, consider buying a fruit cage. These can be bought in standard sizes or made to measure by several companies and can take much of the frustration out of growing fruit. (More on this in KG soon).

• Order new fruit bushes and canes. Early ordering should ensure that you obtain the varieties you really want.

• Protect fruit trees from winter moths by tying grease bands around the trunks or applying a ring of Agralan Barrier Glue. Before using grease bands, scrape off any loose bark and tie tightly to prevent the adult female moths from crawling underneath.

 

KG QUICKIES

• Clean and maintain cloches ready for protecting over wintering crops such as lettuce and endives.

• Buy in fleece. This is available in various weights or thicknesses to provide different levels of protection from the cold and is always handy to have nearby for unexpected chilly snaps.

• Remove weeds as they occur. It is a little late to use weedkillers based on glyphosate, so digging out the roots of perennials may be the best policy until the spring.

Replace worn polytunnels now• Continue to clear beds in preparation for digging. Consider ordering in a supply of manure or other organic matter if you do not have sufficient garden compost for your needs.

• If the cladding on your polytunnel is coming to the end of its useful life, consider ordering a new one and replacing now (picture).

• Cut back the tops of asparagus to ground level and remove any weeds from the bed. Consider adding a mulch of well rotted, weed-free garden compost to improve the soil and protect the crowns during the winter.

For more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!