Remove damaged stems from stone fruits and paint the wounds.
Move citrus under frost-free glass for winter and reduce watering to keep almost dry.
Order your new raspberries this month, make sure they are certified.
Take cuttings of blueberries, currants and gooseberries and dig up rooted layers of black- and hybrid berries.
Prepare the ground for new fruit trees, nuts, vines, canes and bushes.
Vegetables
Dig up outdoor tomato plants and hang them upside-down in the greenhouse to allow the fruits to ripen. Any that don’t ripen can be used green in chutneys.
Cut back the dying tops of Jerusalem artichokes to ground level.
Cut back asparagus foliage if not already done last month. Take care of the spines, and give the plants some mulch afterwards.
Now is a good time to get ahead and prepare new asparagus beds for planting up in the spring.
When clearing old pea and bean plants, simply cut off the tops for the compost heap, and dig the roots into the soil. They return valuable nitrogen to the earth, acting as a natural fertiliser.
October is a good time for digging over vacant areas of the vegetable plot, as the approaching cold weather may help to improve the soil structure by breaking down large clumps into crumbly particles.
Flowers and Shrubs
Cut back perennials that have died down
Divide herbaceous perennials
Move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into a greenhouse or conservatory
Finish collecting seeds from the garden to sow next year
Last chance to trim hedges
Renovate old lawns or create new grass areas by laying turf
