October Jobs
October used to be the month of warm colour as the leaves on the trees were in full autumn celebration but I’m finding this gorgeous display really only starts to kick in towards November. October for me is more about prepping the winter crops and giving back to the soil after such an exhausting summer. So this month I’m mulching all my beds and making sure they remain covered by crops and are being fed at the same time. You can do this with garden compost, wood chip, well rotted manure, leaf mold and green manures. If you are only interested in keeping the weeds at bay then cardboard and hessian will do the trick and protect your soil at the same time and in the spring you can replenish the nutrients in your soil with compost or any of other other options previously listed. But it's always important to give back to the soil, it is after all where the magic happens.
October sow
Don’t stop sowing, sow as much as you can in the early months of October, whilst the soil still retains some warmth;
garlic
winter lettuce
shallots
October grow
Protect your winter veg by mulching and using cloches;
purple sprouting broccoli
cauliflower
cabbages
broccoli
beetroot
October harvest
This is the month to start harvesting the fruit from the trees, if you haven’t done so already and the very last of the summer vegetables like peppers, chillies and tomatoes (which will slowly ripen even off the plant, just place them on a warm window ledge);
apples
pears
spring onion
swede
broccoli
peppers
beetroot