Happy Gardening During October!

Summer has drawn to a close and Autumn is with us, but you don’t need to leave your raised planter empty – re-plant now with fresh winter bedding plants and you’ll have a great display for the autumn and winter months.

Outdoor chrysanthemums are sold in full flower now so just add into position for instant impact.

Ornamental greens are also popular and very effective – decorative brassicas that form rosettes of plain or frilly foliage – such as cabbages and kale – will last late into winter/early spring.

Handy Monthly Tips

Bulbs

Lift Dahlia and Begonia tubers to store dry over the winter months. Remove the dead foliage before storing them.

Plant bulbs for a spring display. For bee friendly flowers plant organic bulbs – read more here https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/30/alys-fowler-plant-organic-bulbs-bees

Vegetables

Hardy salad leaves – plant out seedlings.

Finish harvesting beans and peas.

Plant garlic, onions and shallots now before the weather turns cold. Your garden4me raised planter will keep the soil warm so the bulbs should root strongly, which will give great results and a bumper crop next season

Harvest outdoor tomatoes – move trusses of fruit indoors to ripen, or make some green tomato chutney.

Remove all old and finished plants.

Fruit

Now is the perfect time to plant up strawberries for fruiting next year. Shear back old foliage to encourage fresh new growth.

Other jobs

Re-use spent compost from your planter to use as a mulch on the garden.

Invest in bird baths and bird feeders – birds are the gardener’s friends and will keep pest numbers down.

Planning Ahead

Take stock of this year’s planter display and make a few notes for next spring – or take a few photos so you can replicate, improve or simply just as a memory jog for future ideas. Why not keep a photo diary of your planter each month? Reflect on what grew well and what changes you want to make for next year.