Pat’s Jobs for October 2024

1. Watch out for Cabbage White caterpillar on your Nasturtium: at our allotments they appear to be the new delicacy which they are devastating and they look like the only butterflies that are thriving.

2. Make sure to plant lots of butterfly-friendly plants next year like Sweet Rocket, Scabious, Honesty and others. The butterfly count showed that butterfly numbers are very much down this year and we desperately need them. Please ask me for Honesty seeds if you want some. 

3. If your bulbs are arriving make sure to open the boxes straight away when you receive them and keep bulbs ventilated. Annoyingly some seem to be wrapped in plastic which results in them going mouldy, so decant to paper or string bags and keep ventilated and in a cool spot if too wet to plant.

4. Most bulbs can be planted now like Allium and others, but save your Tulips until November or even December to prevent virus. 

5. Tender perennials like Cannas, Tuberous Begonia etc can be lifted and stored like Dahlias in a cool place to make space for other plants.

6. Store seeds collected earlier in paper bags or paper envelopes but make sure they are really dry and avoiding too much chaff which can make things mouldy. 

7. Bring other tender perennials under cover or close to a sheltered house wall and try some fleece at night if it’s going to get frosty. My succulents live under my garden bench in winter with a few layers of fleece. 

8. Order your Broad Bean seeds and sow at the end of the month or November making sure they’re a hardy variety. This way they get going before really cold weather sets in. 

9. Sow some winter salad like Rocket, Kale, and Lettuce on a bright window sill for use as baby leaves when little else is growing. 

10. Don’t forget to leave grasses and seed heads on some plants in the garden for overwintering insects and as food for other wildlife.

Happy gardening all!

Pat K