Page 15 - ALG Issue 3 2020

...September, October, November
GREENHOUSE
• Reducedampingdownoperationsgraduallyand stop by the middle of the month.
• Sowsomepotsofdwarf French beans for growing on over winter in the greenhouse.
• Finish harvesting all tomatoes and begin to clear away summer crops.
Pear varieties such as ‘Beurre Hardy’, FLOWERS
‘WilliamsBonChretien’aregenerally better harvested before they are fully ripe and allowed to ‘finish’ indoors.
• Loganberriesshouldbeprunedafter fruiting has finished, cutting all stems that have fruited back to ground level and tying in the best new un-flowered growths.
• Melonsgrowingundercover,thatare showing fully developed fruits, should have almost all water stopped, giving just enough to
keeptheplants ticking over. Stand developing fruits on a pot, tile or straw to keep them away from the soil.
• Keepcuttingdahliasuntilthefirst frosts and keep trapping earwigs. Pack a clay plant pot with straw, hay ordrygrassandperchupsidedown on top of a short cane; these can then be emptied out late in the afternoon and the pests destroyed.
• Plantbulbssuchassnowdrops, crocus,daffodilsetctoaddcolour to the plot in the spring, and also provide some nectar for early pollinating insects.
• Sowhardyannualsdirectinto prepared ground for flowering next year – cornflowers, Californian poppies, love-in-a-mist, poached egg plants - the list of suitable candidates is endless. A very cheap and easy way to bring colour to the plot.
• Complete the earthing up of celery. • Complete harvesting of all
maincrops.
FRUIT
• Continue to harvest apples and pears as they ripen, taking care not to damage or bruise the fruits. Only the best should be set aside for storage.
• Any late grapes should have any leaves that cover the ripening fruit removed to allow in as much light as possible.
• Thisisthelastwindowforplanting new strawberry beds, either from new plants or from runners rooted in the summer.
• Liftarootofrhubarbforearlyforcing; allow the root to sit on the soil and
be subjected to a few good frosts.
•
The crown will then be much better for forcing, and some sticks may be ready at around Christmas. Thepruningofearlyapplesandpears can begin once all of the leaves have dropped. Remove all dead, diseased, damaged or crossing material, and reduce the current year’s growth to two or three buds that face away from the centre of the tree.
Continue to harvest apples and pears as they ripen
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
• Clearallsummercropsaway,and
if possible, give the greenhouse a thorough clean down, inside and out, especially if it is to be used for any over-wintering of plants or crops.
• Liftsomemintrootsandpotupfor forcing in the greenhouse.
FRUIT
• Continuetopruneapplesandpears.
• Takerhubarbcrownliftedlastmonth into a warm dark place for forcing.
• Prunevinesbothunderglassandout
of doors.
• Harvest and store late grapes.
FLOWERS
• Plant tulips and hyacinths in pots or 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.
Sow sweet peas and harden off any that were sown last month
GREENHOUSE
• Potupchivesforforcing.
• Keepawatchoverany
plants or crops that are being over-
wintered.
Remove
any dead material, as these can soon lead
to fungal problems.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 15