OCTOBER

ESSENTIAL JOBS CHECKLIST FOR OCTOBER

TOPICAL TIPS FOR OCTOBER

Flower Garden

Continue to plant bulbs in the open garden. Enrich the soil in the planting hole with a sprinkling of Bonemeal
This is also a good time of year to plant new shrubs and perennials. The warmth in the soil will help them to get quickly established. Be generous with the planting mixture and be sure to water in well in dry weather
October is a good time of year to move established evergreens and conifers. Get a friend to help and dig them up with the biggest rootball you can manage. Prepare the new planting site well with lots of your favourite planting mixture – make sure to include bonemeal to boost root formation. Then water in very well. You'll need to continue for several weeks until the plant becomes established
Dig up dahlias as soon as frost blackens the foliage. Cut back the stems to about 10 cm (4 inches) and remove as much soil as possible before standing the plants upside-down for about a week to allow them to dry out. Store the tubers in boxes, covered with slightly damp peat. If you don't have a frost-free greenhouse or shed, you can keep the tubers in a spare bedroom or unheated porch

Going Green

At this time of year the amount of material suitable for composting multiplies alarmingly. Summer bedding, trimmings from perennials and fallen leaves will all rot down, so don't waste them. Use up all your existing homemade compost to mulch around established borders or to add to planting mixtures for new acquisitions. Then start a new compost heap. Always mix together the different materials – this helps decomposition. Whether you favour a purpose-made compost container or an open heap, you'll find that the addition of a biological compost maker will help you produce high quality compost easily and cheaply.

Roses

If blackspot or rust has been a problem try and pick off infected leaves as far as you can and dispose of them – don't put them on the compost heap. If they fall to the ground and blow about they will spread the infections next year.

Lawn

New lawns can be laid or sown on well-prepared sites
Scarify established lawns with a rake, then aerate with a fork if you haven't done it already. There's still time to use Autumn Lawn Food

Greenhouse

Check through all pots that have been growing in the greenhouse or that have been brought in from the garden. Destroy any vine weevil larvae that you find
Stop watering tuberous begonias and allow the tops to die off. Then remove the tubers from the compost and store in a cool, dry place
Bring late-flowering pot-grown chrysanthemums into the greenhouse for some late colour
Wash shading off the windows and consider insulating your greenhouse with bubblepack

Containers

As well as planting containers with bulbs and spring bedding, consider planting a couple with small evergreen shrubs to give a bit of structure and green through the winter months. Euonymus, ivies and dwarf conifers are ideal.

Vegetable Garden

Harvest carrots and potatoes, making sure the crops are clean and dry before you put them into storage. Marrows can be stored once their skins have been hardened in the sun
Finish picking tomatoes before the plants become diseased. You can hang up the whole plant to ripen green trusses, or alternatively pick the fruit and ripen it individually. Or you could always make some green tomato chutney!

Herb Garden

To ensure a supply of fresh mint during winter dig up some roots and plant them 5cm (2 inches) deep in a seed tray in Multi-Purpose Compost. Keep the tray in the greenhouse.
Clumps of chives can also be put into pots and brought into the greenhouse

Fruit Garden

Prepare site for planting bare-rooted fruit trees and bushes. No fruit trees like poor drainage so if your soil is heavy add plenty of Silvaperl grit or gravel as well as organic matter when you dig it over
Finish harvesting autumn-fruiting raspberries and cut down all the canes that have fruited this year