Courtesy of the RHS, here are a few things that we should be getting on with this month. There is always something to be done in the garden!
Fruit
- Harvest top fruit such as apples and pears. Look for fruit falling under the tree (windfalls) to indicate which apples are ready, but also assess taste and texture to determine whether they are ready for harvesting.
- Quince and medlars are also picked now.
- Finish tying in shoots on wall-trained fan trees.
- Order cold stored strawberry runners for delivery in winter.
- Order new fruit trees, canes and bushes.
- Continue to provide support for heavily-laden fruit tree and bush branches.
Vegetables
- When asparagus foliage turns brown, it is time to cut it down. Take care of the spines, and give the plants a good mulch afterwards.
- Irregular watering can lead to problems with blossom end rot in tomatoes, splitting of root vegetables and flower abortion in runner beans. Help prevent this by watering well during dry spells.
- Keep up too with watering winter squash and pumpkins – this will prevent their growth from being checked. Use stored rainwater wherever possible.
- Celery can be earthed-up for the final time this month, leaving just a tuft of foliage sticking out of the trench or collar in order to blanch the stems.
Flowers and Shrubs
- Divide herbaceous perennials
- Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals
- Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway
- Start to reduce the frequency of houseplant watering
- Clean out cold frames and green houses so that they are ready for use in autumn
- Plant spring flowering bulbs