October’s Gardening Jobs
Gorgeous gourds
It’s full on Autumn now and I’m living my best life (despite the classic cooler-weather-illness that devoured the second half of September for me…but we power through into the new season regardless). You already know by now I am the cliché Autumn Girl who lives for incredible Autumn foliage on trees, cuddling under a blanket reading a book while it rains outside, going to pumpkin patches to pick out the best pumpkin with the most unusual features etc. The only thing I can’t get behind is pumpkin spiced lattes, I fear I don’t fulfil the true embodiment of Autumn Girl by not consuming pumpkin spiced anything at any point. Am I the only one who just doesn’t get it? Now with the days shortening and the cool air creeping in I’m going to take it easy on you for your gardening tasks this month. I could say ‘sow your sweet peas and hardy annuals now!’ but I’m not going to. The reason I’m not going to is simply because I don’t do it myself. I like to take the easy way with most garden jobs and remembering to keep seedlings alive throughout the entirety of a cold and dark winter just to get flowers a few weeks earlier is just not worth it for me. So I shall hold off on that advisory, leaving such tasks for next year, and instead give you the following garden jobs to do this month:
Don’t tidy up your garden
There’s the phrase ‘putting your garden to bed for the winter’ which sounds really sweet but I don’t do it myself because it can affect the wildlife in your garden negatively. There can be the tendency to want to chop down all the perennials, tidy away leaves etc. before winter sets in but these are all the places that small animals and insects will be overwintering in around your garden. Seed heads can look really attractive as they turn golden and give a little height and structure to your borders during the winter months too. Just be mindful if there’s anything that looks like it’s going to collapse that it’s best to trim those back to save any damage being done to the plants around them and to the plants/roots themselves.
Mulch your borders
I haven’t done any weeding in my garden for at least 2 months at this point in the year. My borders are planted tightly which makes it harder for weeds to get a hold as there isn’t bare soil for them to root in and because I mulch at least once a year. Mulching your borders helps suppress weed pressure as it starves weed seedlings and seeds of light so they don’t grow as strongly or at all. Less work weeding is a win in my book. Mulching also helps with the soil structure of your garden borders too. The thick layer of mulch gradually gets worked into the soil by worms and such like, and over the years the claggy clay soil in my garden is becoming much more workable and less dense without the back breaking work of digging over and aerating. Work smarter not harder.
Plant spring bulbs
If you’ve picked up some daffodil or crocus bulbs for your borders, pots or to naturalise in your grass then you can get planting them now. Make sure you take notice of the instructions on the packet so you don’t plant the bulbs too deeply. If you’ve also picked up some tulip bulbs, hold off on planting them for a little longer until the temperature is consistently chilly.
Lift and divide older perennials
If you’ve got some perennials that have been in the ground a while and have gotten quite large such as geraniums, sedums etc. it’s a good idea to split them every few years. This gives the plants a new lease of life for next year and splitting them means you get extra ‘free’ plants to plant in other areas of your garden.
Get that Vitamin D
As always I’m going to give you a little reminder to get out in the garden and enjoy sunny days when we get them. Being in the garden isn’t all about working in the garden, it’s about sitting, getting some fresh air and some sunshine when you can. Having a seating area further out into your garden away from your house gives you a lovely place to relax and can give you a real feeling of being surrounded by nature which is simply good for the soul.