Now is a perfect time to lift Dahlia and Begonia tubers. More often than not, these flower well into October but as soon as they have finished flowering, lift them and store until next spring. This is done so that the tubers do not rot during the wet winter months.
Prune your climbing roses. Now the roses have finished flowering, October is the ideal time to prune back your climbing roses. Prune back anything that is dead, diseased or damaged to begin with – this is known as the 3 D’s and applies to pretty much all plants when pruning. Once this is done, look for any branches that are out of place and prune these back. Pruning spindly branches back to the base encourages stronger, thicker growth.
October is the month to harvest Apples which should come away easy when ripe. It is also the ideal time to harvest pears, grapes and nuts.
Divide herbaceous perennial now. It is not only one of the easiest ways to get more plants for free, it also makes room for the existing plant to grown, be healthy and clump out more, ready to be divided again in 2-3 years’ time. You can either pot the new plants straight into the ground or into pots. More often than not, they take a year or two to establish and begin to clump out but this is normal.
It is still OK to lay turf. September to October is the ideal time to renovate new lawns as long as there is no frost or snow, which is highly unlikely. As the temperatures are cooler but not cold and the ground is much wetter, there is a much better chance for the new lawn to take and survive. Why not try our Premium Seed Grown Lawn Turf, which is just £2.50 per square metre roll.
And finally…
- Plant out spring cabbages
- Finish collecting seeds from the garden to plant next year
- It’s the last change to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas
- Harvest your Squash and Pumpkins
- Cut back fruited canes of summer raspberries
- Remove Greenhouse Shading