Page 31 - ALG Issue 3 2018 (printable)

GENERAL
October can be a blaze of glory or soaking wet. The clocks go back one hour at the end of this month. Make clearing as much of the plot as possible a priority before running out of time and daylight. Collect leaves to make a leaf stack. Sow
sweet peas, lift dahlia tubers. Make preparations for the winter weather ahead. Inspect sheds and greenhouses and repair any damage that poses a health and safety risk to yourself and other plotholders.
OUTSIDE
As crops are harvested, clean behind you. Don’t leave any plant remains lying on
or in the soil; these will lead to
overwintering pest and disease
problems next year. Cut down
asparagus ‘ferns’. Time to start
winter rough digging on clay soils,
leaving the soil in large lumps or
ridges to weather/break down over
the winter months. Digging on loamy soils can wait a little longer and if you are gardening on a sandy soil it can be put off until next spring. Dig in manure at this time of the year and if your soil needs a dressing of garden lime leave it until the spring.
Plant – Last month to plant spring cabbage. Warm soil. Plant them close together (easier to cloche) and harvest every other cabbage as collards/spring greens next year, allowing the remaining plants to grow to full size.
Harvest – Beans, carrots, celeriac, celery, Florence fennel,
GENERAL
Ideal time to set up Witloof chicory for blanching, allowing six to eight weeks for the chicons to grow. Push on with winter digging but make allowances for the shorter days and wetter weather. Don’t be tempted to overdo it though; pace yourself and
stop before the muscles begin to hurt. Wrap up warm in layers of clothing that you can remove as you warm up and always replace them as soon as you have finished a session to keep the muscles warm.
OUTSIDE
If not already done, take down bean poles.
Stake sprouts and broccoli. Earth soil up around the stalks of all the brassicas to provide extra support against the winter weather. Lift Jerusalem artichokes. Cut down top growth of globe
artichokes and cover with straw for winter protection.
Sow – Winter hardy selections of broad beans and round
seeded peas in pots or trays to overwinter in unheated greenhouse or frames. These can be planted out next March.
Plant – Garlic appreciates a spell of cold, frosty weather. If
you garden on a sandy or free draining soil it is possible to plant overwintering garlic but in most areas the winter soil conditions are too wet, causing the cloves to rot. It is safer to delay the job until next February.
Harvest – Brussels sprouts, late cabbages, Savoy cabbages, carrots, celeriac, celery (both not frost hardy), kale, leeks, Oriental vegetables, parsnips, swede, Swiss chard, winter spinach.
OCTOBER
kale, lettuce, Oriental vegetables and pumpkins to dry and store for winter use, spinach, squash, Swiss chard. Inspect weekly all produce, put into store no matter how small a quantity it may be. Use or destroy anything that may be showing signs of damage.
Fruit – Prune blackcurrants, cutting out the old darker fruited canes and leaving 5-7 healthy shoots of this year’s growth. Prune raspberries, cutting all this season’s fruiting canes down to soil level. Tie in strong, healthy canes produced this summer, spacing them 8cms apart and removing all of the other unwanted canes. Leave pruning the autumn fruiting raspberries until next February. Prune blackberries removing the old fruited canes. Check tree ties. Complete winter pruning of standard apple and pear trees. Formally trained fruit trees are pruned late July and August.
Harvest – Autumn fruiting raspberries. Check apple trees regularly, removing ripe fruit. Store one layer deep in boxes/trays under cool cellar conditions. Wrap individual fruits with a single layer of newspaper approximately 20cms x 20cms square to avoid contact. Inspect regularly to avoid losses.
GREENHOUSE
Reduce watering to avoid botrytis problems. Wash glass inside and out with mild detergent. Plant lettuces in cold greenhouses and frames. Sow seed of cauliflowers and lettuces.
Harvest – Last of Aubergines, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes – these will be coming to an end by now. Clear
fruits to ripen indoors.
PESTS & DISEASES
Downy and powdery mildew, vine weevil larvae. Inspect compost in pots and grow bags before recycling them.
NOVEMBER
squash. Inspect weekly all produce put into store no matter how small a quantity it may be. Use or destroy anything that may be showing signs of damage.
Fruit – Aim to complete the pruning of red or white currant and gooseberries but don’t attempt the task if the bushes are frozen. Cut blackcurrants down to soil level, removing all of the darker
old wood that fruited this summer. Leave about 7 of the stronger, young light-coloured shoots to provide next summer’s crop. In milder parts of the country it is safe to prune blueberries, otherwise leave the job for next March. Prune out right down to the base
of any shoots 3 years and older, leaving 1 and 2 year old shoots to fruit during the summer. Cut out any dead, damaged or badly placed side shoots at the same time and take the opportunity to remove any horizontally growing shoots at the base of the bushes.
Harvest – Last of the late apples to be put into store. GREENHOUSE
Plant overwintering lettuce to cut next spring. Chose a recommended cultivar. Bring the plants close to the light to encourage strong healthy growth.
PESTS & DISEASES
Downy and powdery mildew, vine weevil larvae. Inspect compost in pots and grow bags before recycling them. It is also the ideal time to carry out a stock check and to dispose of all unused chemicals left over at the local recycling centre.
From store – Beetroot, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, winter
Keep the ground between overwintering plants weed-free.
Regular
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