Gardening month by month: October

October in the garden

The nights are visibly drawing in now and October weather can be unpredictable (well, even more unpredictable than normal!) - the start of the month can see the end of an Indian summer and a couple of weeks later we can have icy winds and lashings of rain. The plot will be looking more wintery now that many of the summer plants are either lifted or about to give their last harvest. The first heavy frosts are also likely this month, which may kill off some of the more tender outdoor annuals (and any tender perennials that haven't been protected by fleeces, cloches or being taken indoors).

Planting out

Onion sets can be planted out this month, along with the first planting of garlic cloves. If you're self-saving garlic, only plant the largest, healthiest looking cloves in order to get the best crop next year.

If you've been growing rhubarb from seed or have bought in some new plants, you can start to think about getting them in the ground now. Make sure that the bed that they are going in has had any weeds removed and that a good amount of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure has been worked in. Pop the plants in and then give them a good mulch with organic matter to keep them tucked up warm for the winter.

Harvesting

The onion family is represented this month by the leek - all the rest should already have been harvested. The brassicas have a much wider range available though: green broccoli, the first brussels sprouts, summer and autumn cabbages, cauliflowers and kale should all be ready for picking in October.

The last of the French beans, runner beans and peas will be available this month - freeze or dry what you can't eat immediately to see you through the winter and don't forget to save some for seeds if you don't have F1 varieties.

October frosts may see off the tops of Jerusalem artichokes, but that means that you might well be able to harvest a few of the nutty tubers from underground. Other root crops available include beetroot, carrots, celeriac, parsnips, potatoes, turnips and swedes, so some good wholesome stews could be in the offing!

The salad bowl is still looking OK this month: you can harvest lettuce, chicory, cucumbers and tomatoes (though outdoor or unheated greenhouse ones will be liable to frost damage ending their season), radishes, perpetual spinach, spinach and swiss chard.

In beds outside you might still beat the frosts for a last couple of pickings of cougettes, marrows, summer squashes, winter squashes and pumpkins. Once the winter weather comes these plants will be done for so get them whilst you can!

If for some reason you've not yet stripped your sweetcorn plants of lovely juicy cobs (or the badgers have done it for you!) then now is the last chance to get them in before the frosts come and cripple the plants.

Aubergines, melons, sweet peppers and chillies will also give their final crops this month, unless they were planted really late and are in a heated greenhouse or indoors with lots of light, in which case you might find that you can get fruits right into the winter.

In the fruit beds the apple harvest may be ongoing with some varieties.

Other jobs

Carry on tidying up around the plot, removing and composting any plants that the frost gets to. Compost bins may benefit from layers of carpet or old blankets or quilts over the top to help insulate them over the winter and keep the microbial activity going.

Leaves will start falling from the trees this month, so it's worth getting set up ready to collect and store the harvest to use as leaf mould in a few years' time. A collection of old compost bags, bin bags or a chicken wire cage formed around four stakes hammered into the ground can be used to store your booty, and a lawn rake, broom and shovel for collecting it. If you've got a lawn, running the mower over any leaves and then collecting them in the grassbox can make the job of tidying up much quicker and easier, and has the added benefit of mixing a bit of high-nitrogen grass in with the high carbon content of the leaves.

By Jim'll