Page 17 - ALG Issue 3 2021
P. 17

                                 ...Sept, Oct & Nov
SCAN HERE TO VIEW A WHOLE YEAR OF MONTHLY JOBS!
 FRUIT GREENHOUSE
  FLOWERS
• Keepcuttingdahliasuntilthefirstfrostsand keep trapping earwigs. Pack a clay plant pot with straw, hay or dry grass and perch upside down on top of a short cane; these can then be emptied out late in the afternoon and the pests destroyed.
• Plantbulbssuchassnowdrops,crocus, daffodils etc. to add colour to the plot in the spring, and also provide some nectar for early pollinating insects.
• Sowhardyannualsdirectintoprepared
ground for flowering next year – cornflowers, Californian poppies, love-in-a-mist, poached egg plants - the list of suitable candidates is endless. This is a very cheap and easy way to bring colour to the plot.
• Melonsgrowingundercover,thatare showing fully developed fruits, should have almost all water stopped, giving justenoughtokeeptheplantsticking over. Stand developing fruits on a pot, tile or straw to keep them away from thesoil.
• Earlyapplesandpearsshouldbe harvested and used straightaway
– these early varieties do not store. Pear varieties such as ‘Beurre Hardy’, ‘Williams Bon Chretien’ are generally better harvested before they are fully ripe and allowed to ‘finish’ indoors.
• Loganberriesandotherhybridberries should be pruned after fruiting has finished, cutting all stems that have fruited back to ground level and tying in the best new un-flowered growths.
• Reducedampingdownoperations gradually and stop by the middle of the month.
• SowsomepotsofdwarfFrench beans for growing on over winter in the greenhouse.
• Finishharvestingalltomatoesand begintoclearawaysummercrops.
FRUIT
• Continuetoharvestapplesandpears as they ripen, taking care not to damage or bruise the fruits. Only the best should be set aside for storage.
• Anylategrapesshouldhaveany leaves that cover the ripening fruit removed to allow in as much light as possible.
• This is the last window for planting new strawberry beds, either from new plants or from runners rooted in the summer.
• Liftarootofrhubarbforearlyforcing; allow the root to sit on the soil and besubjectedtoafewgoodfrosts. The crown will then be much better for forcing, and some sticks may be ready at around Christmas.
•
Thepruningofearlyapplesandpears canbeginoncealloftheleaveshave dropped. Remove all dead, diseased, damaged or crossing material, and reduce the current year’s growth to twoorthreebudsthatfaceawayfrom the centre of the tree.
  FLOWERS
• LiftDahliatubers carefully at the first signs of frost. Cut away the top growths, label and put to dry in a frost-free potting shed or similar.
• Plantoutspringbedding; these will add a splash of colour as well as catering for important early pollinating insects.
• Sowearlysweetpeas.
• Liftgladiolicormsand dry off in an airy shed.
    GREENHOUSE
• Clear all summer crops away, and
if possible, give the greenhouse a thorough clean down, inside and out, especially if the house is to be used foranyover-winteringofplantsor crops.
• Liftsomemintrootsandpotupfor forcing in the greenhouse.
Stake all tall growing brassica crops with a stout cane
     FRUIT
• Continuetopruneapples and pears.
• Takerhubarbcrownlifted last month into a warm dark place for forcing.
• Prunevinesbothunder glass and out of doors.
• Harvestandstorelate grapes.
• Protectanymaturingbroccolior cauliflowersbybreakingafewleaves over the developing curd.
• Protectthetopsofcelerywithstraw, dry bracken or similar.
GREENHOUSE
• Pot up chives for forcing.
• Keepawatch over any plants
or crops that
are being over-wintered. Remove any dead material, as these can soon lead to fungal problems.
Prune vines both under glass and out of doors
FLOWERS
• Planttulipsandhyacinthsinpotsor in the open ground.
• Sowsweetpeasandhardenoffany that were sown last month. The colder and harder the plants are grown the better; just keep heavy snow and winds from the young plants and don’t pinch out until after Christmas.
        Allotment and Leisure Gardener 17
     

















































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