October 2023

October this year is entering through the back door. There is barely a hint of autumn other than the shortening days and cooler nights. The garden remains a strange matt green without a hint of the delicacy and fading that usually characterises the end of September. 

But the only rule is that there are no rules. The longer I garden the less assumptions I make. And none of this harms the garden in any way.

In simple botanical terms autumn colour is created by the difference between day and night temperatures in late summer and early autumn - and this year these have been remarkably constant.

However it presents itself, October is still a very productive month for gardeners. There are lots of harvests from squashes, salad leaves, cabbages, sweetcorn, tomatoes, chilies, climbing beans and more.

The flower garden is still blooming with cosmos, helianthus, asters, sunflowers, cannas, gingers, dahlias, echinacaea, heleniums all still going strong - which they will do until the first frosts. 

It is also the best  time to move existing and plant new plants - especially trees and shrubs. The soil is still warm so the roots will grow in their new homes but the foliage is making no demands. 

But the days are getting shorter and shorter and here in the UK, at 2 am on the last Sunday of the month, the clocks go back. This means that our evenings outside are gone until next March - and that feels to me like a huge loss. 

NEW BOOK

The most exciting news this month is that my latest book -'The Gardening Book' - is being published on October 26th.

This is packed with 50 years of horticultural experience and aimed at those who might not consider themselves a gardener but would like to enhance the quality of their lives with plants, indoors and out, and a beautiful space that perfectly compliments and enriches their lifestyle.

You can pre-order 'The Gardening Book' by clicking HERE

JOBS

GATHER LEAVES TO MAKE LEAFMOULD

Every fallen leaf is potential leafmould and leafmould  which, unlike compost, takes no turning, mixing or knowledge to make, is garden gold. 

 So I am obsessive about making leafmould, gathering as many of the fallen leaves as possible, mowing them to chop them up and then stacking them in a big open heap so they can break down into a lovely rich, crumbly texture and become an essential component of our home-made potting compost.

But I also leave drifts and piles of leaves under hedges and trees to provide over-wintering cover for hedgehogs, frogs, small mammals and insects, along with stacks of logs and piles of prunings - all of which gives essential winter protection for these small creatures that contribute so much to the garden’s health.

If you do not have somewhere to store them sort this out early in the month. A simple bay  made from four posts and chicken wire is ideal. 

INVEST IN HORTICULTURAL FLEECE & CLOCHES

If you do not already posses them, invest in horticultural fleece and some cloches. The point is that these are only useful if you have and employ them before you need them and there is no guarantee that there will not be a hard frost in October. Cloches are very good for rows of vegetables, keeping them dry as well as warm (although I always leave the ends open – happy to trade some heat for some ventilation) and fleece is the best temporary protection against frost, either laid out over small plants or draped over shrubs and bushes.

BRING TENDER PLANTS IN UNDER COVER BEFORE THEY NEED PROTECTION

In my garden this includes Bananas, salvias, citrus, pomegranates, olives, pelargoniums, succulents, fuchsias, eucomis and hedychium but NOT dahlias and cannas, which can be left in situ until the first signs of frost damage have affected them. Then  they can be cut back, dug up and bought indoors to check over before storing in old potting compost in a cool, dark place where they will stay alive but not grow over winter. 

KEEP DEADHEADING

Keep deadheading throughout October, particularly the equatorial plants like dahlias. This will extend their flowering season and squeeze the last bloom from them.  Spent dahlia flowers can be tricky to differentiate from unopened buds, but the foolproof difference is that when they have finished flowering they become pointed and a cone shape, whereas the unopened buds are rounded.

COLLECT SEEDS FROM PERENNIAL PLANTS

Save yourself a fortune by collecting seeds from perennial plants, using paper (not polythene) bags. Always label seed packets immediately. Store in a cool, dry place until ready for sowing.

TAKE CUTTINGS

It is not too late to take cuttings and there is no more satisfying process in the garden if it is successful. Choose healthy non-flowering growth, use a sharp knife and very free draining peat-free compost (add an equal measure of grit or perlite to the compost) and keep the humidity high. Most things will strike now and overwinter successfully without needing potting on.

STORE APPLES

It is worth taking trouble to store the fruit so that it lasts as long as possible. Only store perfect apples, which discounts all windfalls. Pick apples by gently lifting and twisting so that it comes away easily in your hand and handle them as though as fragile as an egg to avoid any bruising. Store them so that they are not touching in boxes or trays, somewhere cool, but frost-free, dark and not too dry. A cellar, shed or cool garage is usually ideal. 

DECIDUOUS TREES, SHRUBS & HEDGES

It is a great time to plant or move deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges as the soil is still warm so the roots will begin to grow immediately. It is essential to give them a really good soak when you do so and to repeat this weekly until the ground is really wet or the leaves have fallen. It is best to start with any any evergreens  before deciduous plants as they need to maximise root growth before winter kicks in. Deciduous plants on the other hand can be moved or planted any time between October and the middle of March.

BIENNIALS

Plant or move biennials such as forget-me-nots, wallflowers, foxgloves, onopordums and mulleins. 

VERBENA

Dig up healthy verbena bonariensis, cut back and pot up to use to take cuttings next spring and take cuttings of penstemons and salvias. 

BULBS

Continue planting spring bulbs but wait another month for tulips. 

SWEET PEAS

Sow sweet peas. By sowing sweet peas in October you will have bigger plants with a stronger root system that should give flowers next spring earlier and last longer. But the disadvantage is that these young plants will need storing and some protection over winter if the weather is bad. So I sow some now and another batch in February and spread the risk.

I sow three seeds in a three inch pot although root-trainers also do the job very well. Use a good potting rather than seed compost. Put them to germinate on a windowsill or greenhouse and once  the first leaves have grown, place outside in a cold frame or protected spot. They only need protection from hard frosts, mice and becoming sodden, so do not provide any extra heat. They will be ready to plant out in April. 

ROTTING FOLIAGE

Cut back and compost all rotting foliage in the borders but leave as much winter structure as possible. 

DIG GROUND

Start digging any ground that you want to replant this winter or use next spring. Doing it at this time of year means that it is accessible, dry and there is more daylight to do it in! But if this seems daunting do 30 minutes a week in two 15 minute sessions. Leave  the soil in large slabs for the weather to break down over winter. 

RAISED BEDS

If you have raised beds – and if not October is an ideal month for making them - mulch them with an inch or so of garden compost as they become clear, leaving the worms to work it in ready for sowing or planting next spring.

BEANS & PEAS

Sow ‘Aquadulce’ broad beans outside for an early harvest next May or June and sow sweet peas in pots and over-winter in a cold frame. 

GRASS

Keep cutting the grass for as long as it keeps growing, however it is better to have the grass too long than too short over the winter months. Rake out thatch and moss and add to the compost heap.

HELLEBORES

Cut off any hellebore leaves that are obviously diseased and mulch around spring-flowering perennials with a 50: 50 mix of last year’s leaf mould and garden compost. 

CLIMBING ROSES

Prune climbing roses. Climbing roses flower on shoots grown the same spring so they can be pruned hard now. (Rambling roses on the other hand produce their flowers on shoots grown the previous summer so should only be pruned immediately after flowering.) Start by removing any damaged or crossing growth or any very old wood which can be  pruned  right back to the ground. The main stems should be fanned out at an equidistance as horizontally as possible, tying them to wires or a trellis. Then all the side shoots growing from these main stems - which produced this year’s flowers -can be reduced to a short stub of a couple of leaves. The effect should be a tracery of largely horizontal growth with pruned side-shoots running along their length. Finally make sure it is all tied firmly in to avoid winter damage