Hello Autumn
We’re almost at the half way through October, but it’s only in the last few days that I feel we’re really into the Autumn weather. Crisp chilly mornings, with the leaves on the trees turning those amazing Yellow/Red/Pink autumnal colours. I’m not sure which time of year I love more, Autumn or Spring, but at the moment I am certainly loving my warm scarf and cosy stove in the evenings. In between showers of rain and sips of tea, here are a few jobs that can be carried out in the garden over the next couple of weeks;
Vegetable Garden
Onions & Garlic can be planted now. They are really easy to grow and require very little work overall. The onions come as very small bulbs known as onion sets. They are winter hardy, so they won’t mind the cold and you will have large onions ready for harvest next May/June time. The garlic on the other hand is split into cloves before planting. They don’t require much room, I know people that have planted them into old Belfast sinks. You will have fabulous chemical free garlic and onions for your stir fry/stews next Summer. Delicious!
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I have now stripped all of my raised beds clean of weeds and harvested the remaining few vegetables. I used a mix of a hoe and a shovel depending on the size of the weeds. I then topped up the beds with farmyard manure. I am going to leave these beds to rest and recuperate over the winter months so they’ll be ready for planting next Spring.
Flower Beds
My flower beds are still going strong here at Rockbarton, they are in full sun and the flowers haven’t started to die back yet. October is a great month to split perennials in the garden. It gives the plants a chance to put down new roots, ready for re-growth in Spring. It is really easy to split perennials. Depending on how big they are, you might need a shovel and forks to divide them. If they’re in pots, then sometimes a kitchen knife will do the job for you.
You might also want to save seeds of some of the Annual and Perennial plants in the garden. If you’re storing the seed, pop them into a brown envelope for using next Spring. Also, make sure to note the name of the seed on the outside of the envelope.
Trees & Hedging
If you’re thinking of planting a new hedge, it is a great time to have a look around and see what kind of hedging you like. The leaves on the beech will start to turn shortly, along with the whitethorn and other deciduous hedging. It allows you to see what hedging you like or definitely do not want surrounding your house. The hedge is something that you’ll be looking at for a long time, so I would recommend planting what you really like. This way you’ll always enjoy it. For some that is a quick growing evergreen laurel, for others that’s the more native hedging of the whitethorn. Bare root season is coming in November, so if you know what you like then you’re already ahead of the game!
As always if you need any help, call in anytime to see me,
Lynda
Rockbarton
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