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Must do's for this month
Jobs that won't wait
Harvest fruit and vegetables. Apples and pears should be picked
by the end of the month and maincrop carrots and potatoes should
be lifted and stored for the winter.
 Sow
hardy annuals, sweet peas and lettuces to overwinter under glass.
Sweet peas can also be sown direct in the ground in mild areas and
protected with cloches.
Plant
spring-flowering hardy annuals and biennials as soon as possible.
Plant
all evergreens, including conifers, by the end of the month.
Plant
window boxes and hanging baskets for winter interest.
Plant
spring-flowering bulbs in the garden and in containers.
Plant
lilies for summer flowering.
Plant
garlic, spring cabbages and Japanese onions.
Lift
tender bulbs, corms and tubers, such as dahlias and gladioli, and
store in frost-free place.
Check
bowls of bulbs planted for winter flowering indoors. Do not let
them dry out.
Put
winter protection in place around vulnerable border perennials and
shrubs in cold regions. In milder areas this can wait for another
month.
Bring
in pelargoniums and half-hardy fuchsias growing in tubs and pots
outdoors.
Net
the pool to protect it from autumn leaves.
Prepare
the garden for winter; clear fallen leaves and other debris, store
garden equipment, clean the greenhouse and put insulation in place
to conserve heat.
 
Information in this section comes from Reader's
Digest New
Gardening Year - a month-by-month guide to success in
your garden
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Planting
guide with Avon Mill Garden Centre,
October is one of the loveliest
and most colourful months of the year. Many flowers are still in bloom;
the autumn-flowering bulbs such as colchicums and nerines are at their
best and many shrubs and trees are covered with bright berries and
coloured leaves.
At the beginning of the month there is often an unusually fine spell
of weather, with warm, clear sunny days, which shows both countryside
and garden at their best.
Night frosts are normal, particularly at the end of the month, but
the mornings are often bright and sunny so things that normally go
unnoticed, such as spiders' webs, suddenly become objects of beauty
in the autumn garden.
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