Rain, rain and more rain in October, which has continued into November. Make the most of any dry days to enjoy some jobs on the allotment and in the garden. Now is the season for harvesting root veg and brassicas!
HARVEST
Many autumn vegetables will have reached their peak now; parsnips, brassicas - cabbage, kale, broccoli and can be cropped as needed. Leeks can be left in the ground and harvested as needed.
Brussels sprouts can be picked starting at the bottom of the stalk and working your way up, or harvest an entire plant and store it somewhere cool. Be sure to keep them protected from pests – slugs and pigeons are still on the prowl!
Celeriac will only tolerate light frosts, so harvest as and when you need them until colder weather is forecast, then dig them up and store somewhere dark and cool.
Pumpkins, even if not fully ripe, should be harvested now and left in a dry place to finish ripening.
Though I tend to leave potatoes in the ground and harvest when needed, the general advice is to dig them up and store in a cool place as slugs and eelworms may eat them.
If you’re growing winter lettuces and salad leaves you should be able to harvest a few leaves here and there this month.
Pick any tree fruit. Store, preserve and share!
PLANTING FRUIT AND VEG
You can still plant onions, shallots and garlic and broad beans for cropping next year.
It will soon be time to plant bare-rooted fruit canes, bushes and trees. Order now for delivery in a few weeks. Bare root plants are less expensive and are on,y available in the dormant growing season.
Divide, and replant, rhubarb crowns if they have grown very large. Share any excess crowns.
Put grease or grease bands on the trunks of fruit trees to prevent winter moth from climbing up and laying eggs. But be careful as other insects can be trapped.
BED PREPARATION
As the beds are cleared of produce, clear weeds and put down a thick layer of compost or well rotted manure to improve soil quality for next season, and to protect the soil from degradation over the winter.
Collect leaves for making a leaf mulch compost to use next year. Collect fallen leaves while they are damp, chop them up with a lawn mower if you can, put them in an open weave bag, and leave on the soil. Worms will break it down to a friable mulch.
It’s also a good time of year for doing useful things like building and starting a compost heap and making new raised beds.
IN THE GARDEN
If you have waterlogged areas on the lawn aerate with a garden fork.
Continue to cut back, weed, and mulch your beds and borders in the garden.
Bring tender perennials such as pelargoniums into a greenhouse/poly house or cool conservatory.
Plant new trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Autumn is the ideal time as the plant will establish a good root system during the winter.
Bare root roses are available now, along with trees. Less expensive than pot grown plants, and perfect for planting now.
Lift dahlias and gladioli and store in a cool dry place
Sow sweet peas in root trainers in greenhouse/poly house or cool conservatory for planting out in the spring.
Continue planting spring flowering bulbs. Protect tulips from squirrels with a top dressing of gravel/grit, or winter annuals such as viola.