What to do in your garden in October

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Summer has been amazing and the mild weather continues into the Autumn this year.  Now is a great time to get your garden ready for the winter months ahead. Check out our tips on what you should be doing this month. As always, if you have any questions then feel free to post them on our Facebook page

General

  • Conduct a thorough weeding at the start of the month to reduce work during the wet months to come
  • Plant herbaceous perennials
  • Remove any remaining annuals and plant out biennials and hardy perennials raised from seed
  • Thin out any dense patches of water plants in your pond and clean up any litter and leaves from the surface and bottom. Thin out oxygenating plants. Don’t forget to place a net over the pool to protect from falling leaves.
  • Spray cherries, peaches and nectarines
  • Plant out winter and hardy spring vegetables
  • Remove dead leaves, and remove any remaining annuals and summer bedding plants
  • Dress borders with bone-meal
  • Continue to weed and turn beds

Lawns

Autumn is a critical time in the lawn care calendar. Help to prepare the lawn to make it through the difficult winter months and ensure that your lawn looks its best come the Spring.

  • Repair damaged or worn areas of the lawn.
  • Autumn is a very good time to sow a new lawn from seed.
  • Treat mossy  lawns with an Autumn lawn feed and mss killer. Wait until the moss has turned black, (about 2 weeks) and remove the dead moss with a spring tine rake.
  • Adjust the cutting height on your lawnmower so that it cuts the grass higher.
  • Mow about once a fortnight until about mid October, depending on the weather conditions.
  • Recut the lawn edges with a half moon edging iron to create a neat finish.

Greenhouse

  • Bring tender succulents under cover for winter
  • Empty begonia tubers from pots
  • Water plants more sparingly
  • Sow sweet peas for early flowers next summer
  • Line the inside of your greenhouse with bubble polythene
  • Check heaters are working

Flowers

  • Plant crocuses, fritillaries and dwarf narcissus in lawns
  • Plant up patio pots for autumn interest
  • Lift gladioli, clean the corms and store them
  • Prune rambling and climbing roses, and shorten long shoots on standard roses
  • Move shrubs that are growing in the wrong places

Fruit and Veg

  • Make a cross-cut in cabbage stems when harvesting
  • Sow broad beans for early crops next May and June
  • Put cloches over tender herbs like basil and coriander
  • Plant garlic and autumn onion sets
  • Pick apples and pears before the wind blows them down
  • Finish pruning blackberries and autumn-fruiting raspberries

Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook page or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.