October is a busy time of year - there are often still flowers to give attention to, garden hygiene to get under control, crops to harvest and planning and planting for next year all to fit into your garden schedule.  

Changing daylight hours will mean that you're up against it in terms of timings before the winter really hits us but this is often a beautiful time of year too with soft autumnal lighting and spectacular leaf colour to fill your senses.  

Jobs for this month include:

• Gather fallen leaves this month especially off your lawns as they need light to keep them green and healthy
• Plant bulbs - except tulips, leave those until next month
• Disinfect your greenhouse – before the cold weather comes!
• Check your greenhouse heaters are working and insulate it if you’ll be over-wintering or getting spring/summer seeds off to a good start
• If you have clay soil dig over and leave the clods to break down during the winter
• Any other bare soil? Why not consider sowing some green manure seeds to enrich your soil for next year?
• Continue to clear up the garden, burning anything that has signs of disease
• Deadhead any plants that are still flowering
• Gather and dry seeds to sow for next year
• Finish pruning rambling roses and tie in new stems
• Check and tie in plant shoots before the gales begin
• Harvest fruit and store (apples and pears can be wrapped individually in newspaper)
• Lift and store vegetables (carrots and beetroots store well laid flat in boxes of damp sand)
• Keep gutters clear of leaves and debris especially those that supply your water butts
• If you have a pond consider netting it to stop all the leaves blowing in - it’ll save you a not so nice job to do on a cold day!