October Gardening Tips

The recent heavy downpours and grey days tell us that autumn is now in its stride. Though the nights are drawing in and the temperatures are dropping, we are still able to enjoy the beautiful autumnal colours for a while yet. Gathering the harvest, storing seeds and planting trees and shrubs, the garden still has much to keep us occupied.

  1. Create leaf mould – Autumn leaves piled up and left to decompose for a year or two will make wonderful organic matter to use as a mulch or soil conditioner. It is best to make a container just for leaves to decompose to make leaf mould; any other garden waste, such as grass or sticks, should continue to be added to the compost bin. To make a leaf mould container, simply push four posts into the ground in a square shape, roughly 1 metre by 1 metre (larger if you have a bigger garden that will generate huge piles of leaves). Place chicken wire or any type of netting around the posts to form the container. The netting will keep the leaves in one place but allow air to circulate for aerobic decomposition.
  2. Prune tall shrubs such as Buddleia davidii. When a plant has a lot of top growth, it can be caught by the wind which rocks them to and fro. This causes a hole in the soil at the base of the stem into which water can collect, causing the stem to rot. The water can also freeze in the winter causing further damage to the roots. Cut these shrubs back to roughly half their height to protect against the wind.
  3. Cut back perennials – Any perennials that have finished flowering can be cut back and added to the compost bin. This will make the garden look tidier and discourage diseases from attacking old growth. If a plant has finished flowering but the foliage still looks green and attractive, then you can leave it until the frosts to avoid unsightly gaps in the borders. Remember, any semi-woody growth will take longer to break down on the compost heap than soft growth so cut them up into small pieces to speed up the process.
  4. Lift and store dahlia tubers – Dahlia tubers will have to be lifted now and stored before the first frost. Cut the stems back to about 10cm from ground level. Use a garden fork to carefully loosen the soil around the plant, avoiding spearing the tubers underground. After lifting them out of the ground, shake off as much of the soil as you can before rinsing any residue away with water. Allow to dry completely before packing away in a dry, frost-free place. The stems of dahlias are hollow, so try initially storing them upside down allowing any water in the stem drains out and prevents the tubers from rotting. After a week or two, box up the tubers either in peat-free compost or sand, leaving the crown of the tubers above the soil. Do not forget to label each plant.
  5. Finish planting spring flowering bulbs – If you haven’t already, get all your spring flowering bulbs planted now so that they can establish their roots whilst the soil is still warm. Bulbs planted later will flower a bit later than others, so you may wish to consider planting in stages. Now is a good time to plant lily bulbs. Choose a well-prepared area of soil in the sun or partial shade. If your soil is heavy, sit the bulb on a layer of grit to aid drainage. Plant the bulbs two and a half times their own depth.
  6. Cut back asparagus fern – As asparagus ferns turn yellow, cut them back and top dress over the crowns with garden compost or well-rotted farmyard manure.
  7. Finish lifting main crop potatoes – Once lifted, leave the potatoes on the surface of the soil for a couple of hours to dry out. If the weather is wet, place them in a cold frame or a greenhouse to dry. They must be dry before you put them into storage and only store undamaged potatoes. Store them in paper or hessian sacks ensuring no light can get to them, otherwise they will turn green and be inedible.
  8. Plant garlic – If the soil is too wet after the recent downpours, start cloves off in modules or small pots, then plant out in late winter or early spring. Place one clove in each pot or cell or, if planting outside, place them about 18cm apart. Plant garlic cloves with the pointed end reaching up and at a depth twice that of the cloves depth.
  9. Shelter citrus trees – Citrus trees and any other tender shrubs in pots which have been outside for the summer should be brought in now. Keep them cool but in frost-free conditions, opening ventilators or a window whenever the weather is mild to give them some fresh air.
  10. Sow sweet peas – If you have space in the greenhouse or a windowsill spare, then sowing sweet peas now can give them a head start next year. Sow them as you would in spring but sowing five or six seeds to a 12cm pot rather than using long tubes. The young plants can be potted up individually in spring.

Happy gardening.

For further guidance, view our Nicholsons Garden Maintenance webpage.