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October Fruit and Veg Gardening Tasks
Planting
- Plant garlic: October is a great time to plant garlic. Plant cloves 2.5cm deep and 15cm apart in well-drained soil.
- Plant soft fruit in pots: Increase your soft fruit stock by planting bushes in pots. Choose sunny spots and plants with thick stems.
- Sow salad in empty pots: Top up empty pots with fresh compost and sprinkle on cut-and-come-again salad seeds.
- Prepare for fruit trees: Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and remove weeds before planting fruit trees next month.
Caring for Crops
- Harvest pumpkins: Cut pumpkins off the vine with 10cm of stalk intact to store.
- Cut perfect cauliflowers: Harvest cauliflower heads while still compact, cutting low enough to keep the soft leaves around the head.
- Firm in brassicas: Compact the soil around brassicas like cabbages and Brussels sprouts to prevent wind damage.
- Clear and care for asparagus: Cut back asparagus stems at ground level and spread a mulch of well-rotted compost.
Making More Plants
- Take hardwood cuttings of gooseberries: Take cuttings from thick, healthy stems and insert them into deep pots of gritty compost.
- Divide rhubarb: Split rhubarb clumps towards the end of the month to keep them in check and promote vigorous growth.
Special Tasks
- Make leaf mould: Rake up fallen leaves and store them in bin liners with holes for air circulation. Use well-rotted leaf mould as a mulch or soil improver.
