Garden Notes for October 2024.

Seed catalogues for next year tend to turn up in September and October.  One of them was delivered to me and I was amazed to see that the price of seed potatoes has really shot up.  The cheapest was £8.95 per kilogramme, coming down a lot if you bought in 5 kg packs but that is far too many for my plot and still means forking out nearly £25.

Autumn means that the leaves on trees start to turn.  This does depend, in part, on how cold the evenings become since the tree system does not turn off the supply of nutrients to the leaves until there has been a frost.  So that also means that the good gardener should be on the look out for their tender plants and bring them into sheltered accommodation before being desiccated by a sharp frost.  Those of you growing parsnips will relish being able to dig them after the first frost when they are at their very best.

Most houseplants will be slowing down their growth.  Water and feed less frequently.  Cacti, in particular, should be kept dry and frost-free during the winter, that includes yucca.

Plant out wallflowers, polyanthus, sweet williams, foxgloves and other similar biennials for a good display in the spring.  Spring cabbage should be planted out while the ground is still workable, keep up a succession of winter lettuce like ‘Winter Density’.  Cut remaining marrows, squashes and pumpkins.  Put them away in a dry, frost-proof place.  Clear away all the pea and bean haulm, then dig over the vacated ground.

Once the ground has been cleared it is a good idea to break it up.  If you have heavy clay (as most of us do round here) the best way is to use a spade and to leave it with large clods that will break down over the winter with weathering.  If you break the soil down too much at this time of year, it will just become a ‘pudding’ and you will have to start all over again in the spring.  Alternatively save your back and just cover the soil with a good mulch of Farmyard Manure .  I still believe in turning the ground but there are those who argue against this practice.

After the first frosts have browned off the tops of dahlias, cut them down to within 12 cm (9”) of ground level.  Mark the variety with a label, and lift the tubers so that they can be dried under cover and then stored in a frost-free place for the winter.  I have tried this over the years and never have much success.  It might be worthwhile just leaving them in the ground and covering the spot with chipped bark or ash, remembering to mark the spot with the name of the variety.  Be warned though, if we do have a prolonged cold period in the winter you could lose the tubers in the ground as well, so you pays your money and takes your choice.

If you want early sweet peas, now is the time to start them off.  For best result sow one or two seeds in rooting pots as sweet peas have an exceptionally long tap-root.  Germinate the seeds in the greenhouse with gentle, consistent warmth.  Once they have emerged sweet peas can be kept outside in a cold frame, only needing protection from the worst frosts by having a cover over them and, if you are like me, protect the seedlings from ravenous slugs and snails in the best way that you can.

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Garden Notes for September 2024.

Watering plants is always a good topic of discussion.  It is either too dry or it’s too wet.  The essential thing is to try to get the right balance.  When it is dry the closable leaf pores on plants (technically called ‘stomata’) shut down and slow down the process of photosynthesis.  When there is enough water the stomata open, transpiration takes place, allowing the air containing carbon dioxide to go into the plant, which, together with sunlight, powers the reaction of water and carbon dioxide to make the sugars that are the plant’s energy source and building blocks.  Watering keeps the stomata open in dry spells.  As a rule of thumb one square metre of vegetation draws the equivalent of an inch of rainfall every day.  Growth of plants in the summer normally requires additional irrigation.  There are now numerous automatic systems that can be put in – especially for containers and hanging baskets.

The start of autumn means that many plants are producing seed heads, which we normally ‘dead head’ to keep the succession of flowers going.  At this time it might be worth keeping them.  With the cost of seed increasing year on year (the average cost is now around £3 per packet, and can be a lot more) it might be worthwhile considering saving some seed head for sowing.  Flowers like Sweet William, Love-in-Mist (Nigella), Cosmos, or vegetables like Runner Beans, can be harvested just before the seed pod has fully dried.  Use brown paper bags to hang the seed head upside down and store in a dry place.  Remember to label the variety, and then when it is all nice and brown shake out the seed and you have saved yourself pounds for a few minutes work.  Unfortunately the lovely hybrids that abound now will not breed true and you will have to rely on the expertise of the professional for that, but if you don’t mind a variety of colour in your Sweet William and so on it is fine.

Whilst the desirable seed heads should be kept, do watch out for all the weeds making sure that they survive.  Milk Thistle, Shepherd’s Purse, Plantain and Groundsel– the list is endless, all should be removed before the flower has had time to set seed.  I have been having a purge on Shepherd’s Purse that became rampant last year.  It seems that no sooner than I have collected another bunch than an equal amount appears on another part of the vegetable garden.  In a bit of land where I have a few fruiting trees there has been a crop of the weed called ‘henbane’ but recently I have made sure to strim the growing plants before they can go to seed.  But they still come back every year.

September is the best month to plant daffodils outside, so make sure you have ordered your new supplies.  New varieties are always being offered, like ‘Easter Bonnet’ which has a white perianth and large pink cup.  Then there is another one called ‘Petit Four’ which has an unusual cup that opens out into a ball of apricot.

Carrots should be lifted and stored before the roots start to split, which they will do very quickly once the heavy autumnal rains begin.  Tomatoes should be cleared from the greenhouse so that it can be prepared for autumn and winter flowers.  Onions should be dried and ripened off.  In our uncertain weather it is a good idea to put them into a greenhouse or bench where there is plenty of air circulating before tying them up into ropes.  Alternatively, use the mesh bags that are used in grocery stores.  They need to be kept in the light and to have plenty of air round them, unlike potatoes that need to be stored in thick paper sacks with the light excluded.

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Garden Notes for August 2024.

Plant Madonna lilies now, with not more than 2” of soil above each bulb.  Order lilies for autumn delivery.  Tiger lilies and some hybrids produce bulbils between the leaves and the stem.  Gather the bulbils when they fall at a touch and plant them in a deep seed box, about 2” apart.

Keep shrubs tidy by dead heading.  Especially roses, but do not apply rose fertiliser after the end of July, this avoids late soft growth which will not mature before winter.

Laurel is a very useful plant but it is very vigorous and August is the month to keep it neat by trimming your laurel hedge.  Some gardeners say that the laurel hedge should be trimmed using secaturs only.  This does give a much improved finish, if you have the time.  Using shears is much quicker and does not substantially make much difference.  If you can allow your compost more than 2 years to compost, then put your laurel trimmings on to it.  If, like me, you can only keep the compost heap for a matter of months, it is better to get rid of the laurel leaves since they take a long time to decompose due to their waxy surface.

Dahlias are supposed to be making a come back, having been rejected as being too gaudy.  I have always liked them, and wish that I could grow specimens to compete in the Summer Show (this year to be held on Saturday 17 August).  To even have a chance, now is the time to make sure that you disbud them, only one flower being kept on each stem.  Dahlias will also need to be tied in as their stems become very heavy with the foliage and bloom and are easily broken by gusts of wind.

Cut out old raspberry canes that have fruited this year.  Cut them down to ground level and retain only six or seven of the strongest new canes on each plant for fruiting next year.  Overcrowding of the canes can lead to a higher incidence of disease.

Cut gladioli for indoor use when the first floret has opened.  For exhibition plants the timing of cutting is dependent on the variety.  The idea is to have as many florets open as possible.  Remember to leave 4 –5 leaves when cutting a spike.

Keep cutting sweet pea blooms.  Never allow the blooms to fade or droop otherwise the flowering period will be shortened.

Early in the month sow spring cabbage.  Recommended varieties include ‘Early Market’, ‘Harbinger’, ‘Flower of Spring’ and ‘Wheeler’s Imperial’.

Provide you have a place where the seed can germinate at temperatures below 20 C sow some lettuce for cutting in the winter.  Try ‘Winter Density’ or ‘Artic King’.

Keep a careful watch for potato blight.  Cut off affected haulm and destroy it, don’t compost it.

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Garden Notes for July 2024.

Some of the earlier crops, like early potatoes, broad beans, and early peas will be finishing soon and it is best to get them cleared away for catch crops such as carrots or globe beetroot.  This season has shown once again just how slow the soil is to warm up, many of our plants have grown so slowly in May that it is a wonder that they have grown enough to be put out in June.  If you are thinking of sowing a late crop of carrots, a wonderful tip I was given a few years ago is to make sure that the row is watered 4 days after sowing.  It works wonders for good germination.

July is the last time to cut back hydrangeas after flowering (they are called ‘hortensias’ in France, which I rather like).  The reason for this is that they will not have sufficient time to make new growth for next year’s flowering.  The early flowering ‘Montana’ clematis can be pruned in July.  Thin out overcrowded stems and cut back where necessary to keep the plant within bounds.  Drastic pruning is not desirable.

Tuberous rooted begonias should be disbudded if you want to have those big flower heads.  It is the small side buds that need to be removed, leaving the large central flower to develop.

Don’t forget to keep the container grown plants watered and fed at least once a month with a soluble feed.  Remove dead heads to encourage continued blossom.  Roses will benefit from a sprinkle of a specialist rose fertiliser, preferably with a high potash content to encourage a second flush of blooms.

Tomatoes should be stopped after 5 trusses have set.  If the bottom leaves start to turn yellow it is better to remove them and let the trusses develop in the sunshine.  Keep an eye out for any sign of mildew and spray appropriately.  The same goes for potatoes.  If there is a bad attack towards the end of the month and it is too early to harvest it is better to remove the haulm and burn it safely, or take it to be re-cycled.

Pears and plums will repay careful thinning as there has been a heavy set this year with all that beautiful blossom we had, although I am a bit disappointed by my ‘Comice’ pear which has had a mass of blossom but only seems to have set relatively few.  At least there are more than there were last year, and the I am really looking forward to picking them in September, the flavour of a freshly picked ‘Comice’ is one of the greatest treats you can imagine.

Take care with your dahlias and keep disbudding and feeding so that you have a good choice to enter the Flower Show.

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The pace of gardening really hots up in June, but it is still necessary to keep an eye on what the weather holds in store for us.  Evening temperatures should be high enough in June but keep an eye out for the younger plants if rain does not arrive fairly soon.

Frost susceptible, fast growing plants like dahlias, courgettes and so on should be put into their final homes assuming that there is no ground frost forecast.  If it has been very dry, make sure that they have a good drink before and after planting them out.  But don’t water them all the time.  Give the roots time to settle down and then water (if necessary, and allowed) about once a week with a thorough soaking, preferably in the evening or early morning before the sun has got its full power switched on.

Hedges need regular attention now, and should be kept in shape; otherwise they can so easily get away from you making the task so much more difficult.  Grass needs to be mown, but keep the cutter bar on a high level and the lawn will look greener for much longer.  Do not put sprinklers on lawns, even if they do turn a dusty brown, as soon as the rain comes back they will recover with surprising speed.  If you do water the lawn you are wasting a precious resource to no real effect.

In the vegetable plot, make sure potatoes are kept ridged up; otherwise the tubers get exposed and ruined.  Late Savoy cabbage can be sown now – use a variety like ‘Ormskirk’.  Winter cabbage like January King should be planted out now.  Leeks should be planted out using a dibber to make a hole about 6 to 8” deep, and then water it in well.

Continue to make successional sowings of lettuce.  Ones like ‘Tom Thumb’ ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Mini Green’ are fast growing, and the right size for many people.  Webbs Wonderful is superb but rather large.

Early tomatoes should be ripening fast and the fruits should be picked regularly.

Roses are at their best towards the end of the month.  It helps to keep them cut regularly and feed with a potash feed to keep them blooming longer.  If you want to have specimen blooms it is advised to take out the side shoots carefully, as well as the smaller buds, leaving just one strong one at the end of the stem.  Keep an eye out for pests and disease.  Keep mildew at bay by regular spraying.

Suckers that sprout up from the base of damson and plum trees can become troublesome unless dealt with early on, so dig them out and burn the resulting twigs.

As alpine plants finish flowering, trim them back to keep the plants neat and compact.  It will also encourage them to make good growth for next spring.  Any gaps or vacant spots in the rock garden can be planted with summer flowering annuals or bedding plants to maintain the overall colour.  Towards the end of the month cuttings can be taken from the alpine stock to increase the number of plants.  Root the cuttings in a sandy compost.

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