Gardening Jobs for October
October can be an ever changing month weather-wise, but the garden is certainly starting to slow down as the colder weather creeps in. There is so much to prep and prepare for the Winter season ahead, it's the time of year for a good tidy up in the garden and in your greenhouse (no matter what size). It is a lovely month to spend in the garden and can be a wonderful month to support wildlife too.
- Empty 'gone over' summer pots and hanging baskets, and compost the contents.
- Plant bulbs for a glorious display of colour next Spring. You could try planting bulbs in different ways: in borders, pots or in drifts informally in a lawn.
- Now is a fab time to add some colour to pot displays. Winter pansies, Violas and Polyanthus are fantastic for colour through the cold and dreary winter season. You can plant these on top of bulbs in pots for some colour whilst we wait for the bulbs push through.
- Plant evergreen shrubs and conifer hedges while the soil is still warm
- Water plants more sparingly as conditions turn cooler and the days get shorter
- If you haven't already, ensure you sow some sweet peas in deep pots for early flowers next summer
- Inspect plants you bring into the greenhouse over winter for any pests and diseases
- Attach guttering to the greenhouse and install a water butt, to make good use of autumn rain
- Clear fallen leaves from greenhouse guttering to ensure water butts fill up
- Wash greenhouse glazing to let in as much of the weaker autumn daylight as possible
- Move potted citrus plants and fuchsias inside over winter, keeping them cool but frost free
- Sow quick-growing microgreens, such as kale and mustard, for nutrient-rich pickings in just a few weeks
- Empty ceramic and glazed pots that aren't frost proof and store in a shed over winter
- Spike compacted lawns with a garden fork and brush grit into the holes to improve drainage
- Collect up hoses and store indoors over winter, so they don't freeze and split
- Clean out and disinfect bird boxes
- Gather up canes and plant supports that are no longer in use, and store indoors over winter
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