Sweetpeas in the frame
Sow sweetpeas now in a cold frame or outdoors protected from mice and slugs, and you will have big, strong plants and early flowers next year. Easton Walled Gardens grows and sells a huge range of sweetpeas, including many antique varieties. 'Queen Alexandra’ was introduced in 1905 and has a scarlet flower with a wonderful scent (visiteaston.co.uk/shop).
Full of beans
Sow broad beans now for an early crop next year. On my clay soil this is hit and miss, but it is definitely worth sowing now if you have a well-drained soil. You need hardy varieties such as 'Aquadulce Claudia’ (organiccatalogue.com).
Guard bananas
Hardy banana Musa basjoo may fail to live up to its name. If you live in a cold area or if yours is young, you will need to protect it with fleece or straw. Coopers of Stortford (coopersofstortford.co.uk) sells fleece bags.
Good apple
'Allington Pippin’ is one of the best storage apples to pick now and keep until Christmas. It is one of the 1,000 varieties on display this weekend at the National Apple Festival at Brogdale, Faversham (brogdalecollections.org).
Store gladioli
In cooler areas, lift your gladioli corms now that the foliage has turned brown. Break off the foliage and store in a cool and frost-free spot. In warmer areas you can get away with just covering them with a thick mulch.
Sow berries
I have a beautiful rowan tree in my front garden, and this is the time to gather and sow a few of the ripe berries in pots of compost to be left outside all winter. The frost will work on them and they will sprout in spring.
Buy plug plants
Forget-me-nots are brilliant spring fillers, and if your __garden tends to be bare early in the year you can give it near-instant springy froth with a pack of plug plants planted now. Any spring bulbs can poke up in between (suttons.co.uk).
Fig deal
If you have a productive fig tree, take cuttings now. They should be about a foot long, this year’s growth, with the softer tip removed. Cut the tip-end at an angle so you know which end is up then insert cuttings into a trench of well-drained soil.
Cross the pond
Ponds choked with growth and weed can be cleared out now: don’t leave it until spring when pond-dwellers are breeding. Leave anything you remove on to the side of the pond for several days to allow accidental evictees to scramble back in.
Festive dazzler
Hippeastrum (or amaryllis) will flower six weeks after planting, so pot now for Christmas blooms. I like pure white for Christmas, such as 'Ludwig Dazzler’ (gee-tee.co.uk). Plant into pots just larger than the bulb, with two thirds of the bulb above the surface.
More to do in October...
Plant clematis
Autumn is the best time to plant clematis, giving them a chance to establish their roots in cool, moist soil before they are required to perform. I have my eye on the unusual Clematis rehderiana, which has pale yellow, spring-scented, bell-shaped flowers (taylorsclematis.co.uk).
Sprout support
Brussels sprouts are tall and top heavy and can be rocked about by the wind. Give them a little support: those suffering from wind rock are more likely to produce soft, blown sprouts. Push a hefty piece of wood such as a piece of hazel into the ground next to each plant and lash them firmly on.
Grow garlic
Order and plant garlic now and into winter. The bulbs need cold in order to separate into cloves. 'Picardy Wight' originates in northern France, so it is better suited to our cooler and wetter growing conditions than some (thegarlicfarm.co.uk).
Dry begonias
After their foliage has been blackened by the first frosts, lift and dry out your begonia tubers. After a week or so, brush off the dried soil and then store the tubers in something insulating, such as sawdust or dry sand, in a cool but frost-free spot.
Mark locations
This may be the last chance to mark the locations of perennials as they die down, which is a good idea if you are planting bulbs or doing any moving at all over winter. Even an unlabelled length of bamboo will prevent you from slicing into your scabiosa during a fit of border renovating.
Bright berries
Berries are looking wonderful now, but if your __garden is bereft this is also the time to plant berrying shrubs. Cotoneaster lacteus is a beauty, with larger leaves than most and big bright berries and can be trained as a tree or hedge (hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk).
Go mowerless
Spend the autumn and winter planning your new mowerless life. The Scything Handbook by Ian Miller, newly released, contains all of the information you need to buy, maintain and use a scythe for any grassy area, from a meadow to a lawn (Filbert Press, £14.99).
Cut down peas
Peas and beans can be cut down now, and any beans for drying should be harvested and dried indoors from hereon, or you risk them developing moulds. Chop the growth off at ground level and leave the roots and their nutritious, nitrogen-rich nodules to break down in the soil.
Sort apples
Sort through cooking and eating apples, setting aside the best for storage, and anything bruised or nibbled for eating now. Wrap each perfect one in its own piece of newspaper and pack into airy wooden crates in a shed or cool spot. Periodically check and bring out for eating.
Compost mix
Everything that grows in the garden can be composted, but if you are cutting back walnut, eucalyptus, laurel and juniper be aware that they are toxic to other plants and so you may be better to leave them out of the general mix.
