I’m going to make this a seperate web page linked on the top bars so this will probably not be the latest version by the time I’m finished. I’m still collating the many books I have.
Here is October’s tasks for Gardeners.
This collection of lists are actions that are suggested you do on a month by month basis throughout the year to help you in your tasking to ensure your survival. It is mainly based around the garden and the outdoors but not exclusively. Each month has a list of task that are suggested for that month but as you are aware the weather is not fixed nor is it consistent across the country. This is just a guide to get you started and you will work out what is best for you soon enough. If you wish to use an alternative then do so. I would also appreciate an update and instructions on what you have done so I can pass that on to others.
General Garden Work
- Weed
- Remove yellow leaves from brassicas and compost them
- Remove dead leaves and put in black bags to rot or make a leaf mould cage
- When strawberries finished
- Remove Rotten fruit
- Cut off tops of plants
- Remove unwanted runners
- Put all waste in composter
- Double Dig ground to bring bugs to surface, fork in manure and spread compost on surface
- Dig in any Green Manure planted earlier in the year which is not intended to overwinter
- Harvest
- Beans
- Carrots
- Last of the potatoes
- Bring inside any Tomatoes not yet red. Either make Green Tomatoe Chutney or ripen tomatoes indoors by leaving in sun on window ledge
- Store in shed
- Cabbages (Check for slugs)
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Fill composter with debris from plants
- Prune
- Blackcurrants
- Gooseberries
- Redcurrants
- Sow
- Green Manure in empty plots
- Broad Beans
- Plant
- New canes
- Garlic
- Kale
- Spring Cabbage
Greenhouse
- Clean frame with disinfectant to disturb bugs settled down for winter
- Insulate greenhouse for winter crops
Cloche
- Sow
- Japanese Onions
Pond
- Thin out water plants
- Clean litter and leaves from pool
- Put net over water to keep leaves and debris out
Wow. I should be so busy but I’m not.
My October tasks?
Dig garden, cover with black plastic, One last blitz with the lawn mower, give it a final oiling including digging tools, lock garden shed, try and lose the key, and drink more tea.
Pure idleness.
I got an allotment last year near the end of the season. I grew a few bits and bobs to test the soil etc…
Findings are: soils crap about a foot deep then pure clay… the allotment turns into a river at the bottom when it rains too much, so I’ve got to dig some sort of sump to help drain it… It seems to be a holiday camp for slugs… big fat juicy ones… and all the local cats like using it for a toilet…
All the allotment paths and beds are wrong for my needs so I’ve just done three days hard labour digging old hard cored paths out, laying the timbers that were the raised beds down for foundations for two 6 meter poly tunnels, which I hope will keep the majority of rain, cats and slugs off next years crops…
AND it now resembles the Somme, mud ankle deep and I’m only just halfway through my “modifications”
Still more hard core to dig out, then fill in the path shaped holes with soil, then rotavate the whole lot a few times and finally put up my two poly tunnels.
those are exactly the reasons why we gave up our allotment this year, the whole area is on solid ball clay, that and the 10mile round trip every time. we now grow everything in raised beds in the garden.
Damn, reminds me I’ll have to get out to my garden and … hang on a minute … are you doing all those things, Skean?
That’s a great to do list, thanks for sharing. Just goes to show that there is as much if not more work to do in the garden during the autumn compared to the summer!! Peter