Garden Notes for October 2023.
October is the month to start clearing away summer growth and preparing for the next growing season. This will generate a lot of material. By far the best use is to compost it.
Composting is very important, no matter how large or small your garden is. Shredding woody material and large items like cabbage stalks is important.
Dahlias are the most likely to show when there has been an early morning frost. The leaves will turn black and all growth will stop. When this happens, cut the top growth down. Standard advice is to lift the tubers and let them dry out thoroughly before storing in a frost-free place through the winter. I find that the tubers get so large that they take up a lot of space, so I experimented last year and left them in the ground covered by a thick insulating layer of straw. I had much greater success this way than I ever did trying to store them in the conventional way.
Carnations and pinks should be planted in prepared beds. Clear leaves and rubbish around stems. In mild spells firm the soil around plants if they have been lifted by frost.
Before it gets too cold, give the greenhouse a thorough clean and clear out. Remove tomatoes. Night temperatures are dropping considerably now with the result that the skin on the fruit gets pretty tough. Other plants in the green house can be given temporary B&B elsewhere and then the glass should be washed down to remove as many of the ‘nasties’ as possible.
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.
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
All are welcome to come to the Annual General Meeting of the Horticultural Society which will be held in the Capel Parish Hall on Thursday 9th November starting at 8pm.
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