October might bring shorter days and cooler nights, but there’s still plenty to plant, sow and enjoy in the garden. Award-winning garden writer Ade Sellars shares his seasonal gardening advice with us:
October is a month of change, where we say goodbye to one season and welcome in another. Clocks go back, summer displays retreat into the ground and temperatures slip down the thermometer. But it’s also a month full of rich allotment harvests, vibrant colours and a chance to don your cosy winter knitwear and snuggle in front of a roaring fire. Believe me, I can swap secateurs for a snuggle faster than you can mulch a fruit bed with Dalefoot’s finest.
Winter maybe on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean we have to starve our gardens of colour during the colder season. So, before you reach for the thermostat, there is still plenty of planting and sowing that can be done this month to keep those green-fingers twitching with excitement.
I never need an excuse to slope off to the garden nursery. But, if you do need a reason, now’s the moment to fill your shopping trug with showstopping pansies, violas and cyclamen. Using Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Potting, pot them up into window boxes, pots and containers, or along the front of flower borders. Other plants to consider are hellebores, cyclamen and wallflowers, both plug plants and bare root varieties. Whether you venture out into the cold, or appreciate the garden view from the warmth of your home, plant displays close to the house, or alongside paths, to ensure they’re easily visible.
Hardy annuals such as cosmos, marigolds or cornflowers can either be sown directly into the soil or into seed trays with Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Seeds. Place in water-filled tubs, and let the trays soak the water up, as watering overhead will disrupt the soil, and spoil the seed. Place in a warm greenhouse, and keep an eye on them throughout winter. You can also sow sweet peas in pots, keep them somewhere bright and frost free. They will happily sit in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. In our garden, we’ve recently been collecting seed heads from the hollyhocks, which have now been sown into seed trays, and will germinate and remain in the greenhouse until next spring.
For little effort, spring bulbs offer great results Whether you prefer the lure of a dapper daffodil, a sassy snowdrop or an alluring allium, it’s still not too late to order your bulbs. They can be planted into pots, containers, window boxes, hanging baskets, or straight into the ground. Just remember, to plant your bulb to the depth of three times its height. Bulbs don’t like their bottoms sat in water, as it can cause them to rot. Therefore, by using Dalefoot’s Bulb Compost, it will keep bulbs happy and productive. For tulip planting, I tend to wait until we get into November when air and soil temperatures are lower. That way, there’s little risk of Tulip Fire, a fungal disease that can distort growth.
With the right protection, lettuce can still be grown during the winter months. Consider varieties such as lamb’s lettuce, miner’s lettuce or micro greens. If you’re not growing them in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, place a cloche or fleece over the growing area to help protect your crop. For me, I grow my greens in the greenhouse by taking a bag of Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Vegetable and Salads, and either placing it on a bench or on the ground. Removing the side panel facing upwards, I simply sow and grow in the bag.
If you’re already looking ahead to a tasty season of fresh veg, get going now by sowing broad beans. They can easily be sown into pots or root trainer cells, water and labelled, then kept in a greenhouse or cloche overwinter. If you decide to direct sow, ensure the growing area is weeded and incorporate Dalefoot’s veggie compost into the soil. Create a fine tilth, then sow double rows at six inches apart. Panting at nine inches apart to the depth of two inches. Cover seeds and water in well, then mark the area where the seeds have been sown. As seedlings emerge, you may have to fleece them, both to protect them from hungry birds and the colder weather.
If you’re hoping for an early harvest of spring cabbage next year, seedlings should now be planted out. Water in well, and apply a thick mulch around the base of plants. Again, provide protection from dropping temperatures, and hungry wildlife.
Autumn-planting garlic sets need a cold period to help develop cloves. In well-drained, fertile soil, place the individual cloves at 20cm apart, in rows 30cms apart. Ensure the flat part of the clove is facing downwards, planting it twice its own depth. Don’t be tempted to use bulbs from a supermarket as they may harbour disease. Instead, buy them from a garden centre or online supplier. And as we’re on the subject of alliums, autumn-sown onion sets and shallots can now be planted. However, if growing space is limited, I often plant them into modular cells and keep them in my unheated greenhouse to grow out before planting them out in late winter or early spring.
From November to March is the dormant season, so if you’re planning to plant bare root shrubs, roses or fruit trees, order them now. Not only do bare root varieties tend to be cheaper compared with pot grown varieties, there’s often more choice. Although, we’re heading into autumn the soil is still warm, so you can still plant up potted shrubs, fruit canes and trees this month. From an aromatic lavender to a striking hebe, evergreen shrubs are an excellent choice. Easy to plant and grow, they will add colour and structure throughout the darker months ahead.
For fruit lovers, blueberry plants are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. If planting in pots, they make an attractive feature if kept on a sunny patio or balcony. Just ensure you use ericaceous soil as these are acid-loving plants. Another fruit favourite is rhubarb. Freshly bought crowns should be planted into a sunny sheltered area. Incorporate plenty of compost into the soil and plant keeping the growing tips just above the soil line.
If you have been growing rhubarb for several years and the stalks seems congested, it might be time to lift, divide and replant. Use a sharp spade to divide the crown, ensuring each section contains at least one growing point. Re-plant in well drained, fertile soil, ensuring each crown is well spaced. Mulch around the crowns with Dalefoot’s Lakeland Gold. This will protect the crowns from harsh winter weather, suppress weeds and leech valuable nutrients into the soil, which will allow future rhubarbs stalks to crown healthy and strong.
Summer may have handed the baton over to autumn, but that doesn’t mean we have to close the gate to our gardens for the next few months. So, get out into your gardens and grow something beautiful.
BIOG
I’m Ade Sellars the ‘Good Life Gardener’, and I’m am award-winning garden writer, gardener designer, and filmmaker, with a passion for growing my own food in my kitchen garden. I’m also a garden presenter on both Must Have Ideas TV and the QVC Channel. I regularly stage host and deliver gardening talks around the country.
Website: www.adesellars.com
Instagram:adesellars
YouTube: @TheGoodLifeGardener
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ade-sellars-the-good-life-gardener-7429ba42/