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Under cover

Work in the polytunnel and greenhouse really starts to wind down in October. It’s not that there aren’t still plenty of tasks to keep you going, but the frantic growth of warmer months is certainly halted by a few night frosts and dropping soil temperatures. Keep harvesting, keep an eye out for problems, and remember to get spring crops in the ground this month if you want a varied supply in the new year

Prolonging the season

There should be a wide variety of plants cropping under cover. Platters of tomatoes, aubergines and peppers are still the norm. A lot obviously depends on what you have grown, but it also depends on the weather in October. In a cold year, with lots of frost, tender crops will finish much sooner than in a warm year. You can sometimes keep plants cropping a little longer by covering with an extra layer of fleece or a cloche. Some people cover the whole greenhouse, or polytunnel, with an extra layer of insulating polythene. This is obviously a much bigger investment than a few cloches or some fleece, but it can raise the temperature under cover by a significant amount.

French beans

A July sowing of dwarf beans should crop well through October. Climbing French varieties should still be cropping from a spring sowing, but the pods do get tougher. When the harvest isn’t worth the space that the crop is taking, remove the haulms and any fallen leaves.

Peppers

These are real stars at this time of year. I am always amazed that plants which need such heat to start them off when young, can cope with real temperature dips in the autumn. There should be fleshy tasty fruit all through this month and on into the next. Don’t over-water and watch out for slug damage to the fruit. If leaves start to brown and drop, clear them away and don’t spare the fleece if a cold night is forecast.

Onions and garlic

Autumn planting varieties are often put outdoors this month, but if you have a large polytunnel it is worth growing a few plants under cover. These come much faster than the outdoor ones and in a mild year you may get small useful bulbs in January or February. Even if you have to wait until March, they will be well ahead of those outdoors.

Ventilation

An Indian summer (hopefully!) can stretch into October with days that send under cover temperatures soaring. Ventilation now is as important as ever. Hot humid conditions encourage disease, but a cold wind blowing through can knock plants back. Open doors and windows on hot days. Remember that a door can be propped ajar to allow some ventilation, while reducing wind damage on cooler days. I would always close doors and windows at night in October.

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

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