October Gardens

October gardens tend to see a drop in temperatures, night frosts and an increase of winds blowing the rich autumn-coloured leaves from trees. This month the growing season comes to a close but there are still plenty of jobs to be done in and around your October garden which frankly, is a busy place! There are still often 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.

Don’t worry about clearing every seed head or dying herb stems before winter sets in unless you want your garden to be super tidy, seed heads with frost or moisture from a misty start to the day can be very aesthetically pleasing as well as providing beneficial insects such as ladybirds and lacewings shelter to hibernate. Leaving spent seed heads and stems also gives some plants an added layer of protection through the cold and frosty months.

If you have established perennials that have been untouched for a number of years it’s a good idea to divide them now as they head into dormancy; it will give them new vigour and they’ll put on a better show for you next year. Geraniums and Japanese anemones are ideal to divide now, dig them up carefully and use two forks back to back to lever apart, do this a few times and then replant all the smaller plants not forgetting well-rotted compost or manure to help them along.

Sedums (Hylotelephium) are great for dividing now – simply cut all the growth off, dig them up and then using your spade divide the root into sections and replant. Remember to give them a good watering too! Destroy all leaves off your Hosta plants as they very quickly turn mushy and diseased, if you don’t destroy them the spores will over-winter in your garden. Don’t put them in your compost either; destroy them it’s the best way!

Very soon leaves will be everywhere so make the most of them, rake them up and store them either in a chicken wire container held in place using four stakes in the ground or in black bin bags. If you opt for bin bags make sure that the leaves are damp and that you punch your garden fork into the bag a few times to create air holes. Store them in a hidden corner in your garden and after a year the leaves will make a fantastic soil conditioner or mulch and after two years they make potting compost or top dressing for lawns after being sieved – all for free!

October garden jobs

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!