Fruit and Vegetables
If like me, you have some brassicas growing in your plot, now is a good time to cover them over with some netting to stop the birds from eating them.
If you are still digging up potatoes make sure to dry them off before storing, this can be done by laying them out on top of the soil. When storing, place them into paper sacks making sure not to get any damaged or rotten potatoes in there as this will turn the rest of your crop bad very quickly.
Remove all tomato plants from the greenhouse or polytunnel as they finish cropping. If you have some, which are not completely ripe take them indoor to finish off.
Remove old cucumber and runner bean plants as they finish cropping and place them all on the compost heap.
Start to harvest apples and beetroot for eating and storing and also start picking chilli pepper as they become ready if you have not already started to do so.
Check over, stored onions to make sure there is not any going rotten.
Sow some winter lettuce, under cloches or in the polytunnel.
Plant out young leek plants if you have not already done so.
Flower Garden
Plant out any container grown plants like lavenders, giving them a good water in.
Start, sowing some annuals like calendula and larkspur these will give you some early cut flowers.
Cut dead flower spikes off canna lilies and move them into the polytunnel or greenhouse to give them some protection as the night temperatures start to drop.
Continue to cut dahlia flowers to enjoy in vases indoors.
Remove, old sweet pea plants now they have finished flowering and add them to the compost heap.
Continue to save other seed around the garden or allotment that can use again next year. Don’t forget some of the dried sweet pea seeds ready for sowing next year.
Other Jobs around the garden
Continue, moving the hoe around the plot and beds removing any weeds.If you have, any weeds like docks or nettles remove these to the bonfire and do not place them on your compost heap.
If where you are, is still mild, Continue to mow the grass and add all grass cuttings to the compost heap remember to mix these with some other materials to help with the rotting down.
Start spreading, well rotten horse manure or garden compost a crossed the top of the bare soil ready to start digging in.
If you have weeds growing in the joints of your paving, remove these using a long handled wire brush for patios and paths, then finish by giving the whole area a good sweep to remove the debris and avoid slip hazards before the winter rains start.
