October – Garden Jobs

Here we are again! The Autumn is upon us, the nights are drawing in, and the temperatures are dropping, so we all need to get our thermals out!

Here at Thorngrove we are beginning to put things to bed ready for the winter  by cutting back and tidying up the herbaceous as it prepares to go into hibernation for the Winter.

We have also been busy potting up young herbaceous ready for next Spring! There’s still time to plant your Spring flowering bulbs, we have such a brilliant range to choose from, so pick some up on your next visit, and if you need any advice, please do stop us and ask!

In the meantime, here’s a few tips for jobs in the garden during October.

• Cut back any perennials that have died down. You can also divide your herbaceous perennials
• Divide established rhubarb crowns to create new plants
• If you have tender plants including aquatic ones move them into the greenhouse or conservatory
• Harvest your apples, pears, grapes, and nuts
• It’s also time to prune your climbing roses!
• Clean up rose leaves to prevent diseases such as blackspot from over wintering to avoid the spread of damaging fungi. DON’T put them in your compost bin if your able to burn them do so or put them in your garden waste bin
• Collect seeds from the garden to sow next year
• Last chance to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas. Also renovate old lawns and create new ones by laying turf if you wish
• Sweep up any fallen leaves that may harbour fungal spores and provide ideal hiding places for slugs and snails. Put your leaves in a heap at the bottom of your garden, as this will make good leaf mould for your garden too.
• October is also a good month to plant hedges and move trees and shrubs.
• If you are going to grow beans next year, prepare the site by digging a trench and filling with manure or kitchen waste during the Winter.
• Harvest your pumpkins and squashes before the frosts as they soon turn mushy
• It’s also time to put grease bands around the trunks of apple trees to trap winter moth females whose caterpillars shred spring flowers and reduce your crop.
• If you had straw around your strawberries, it’s time to remove it to increase ventilation, and also shear back old foliage to encourage fresh growth.
• If you have a pond, put a net over it to prevent leaves falling into them. Also, if you need to remove pond weed, leave it by the pond for a day to allow any wildlife to escape back in to the water.

Of course, these are just a few general ideas. Please do pop in and speak to us if you have any specific needs for your gardens space, and we’ll be more than happy to give you further tips. We look forward to seeing you!