The evenings are already drawing in and as we get closer to the winter months, all gardening enthusiasts know that there's plenty of work to do in the garden before the first frosts appear.
October can be a pretty busy time for those with green fingers, but thankfully horticulturalist and TV personality Monty Don has shared some advice on one of the most important jobs you can be getting on with in October.
The upcoming cold weather means bringing some of your plants inside, where they can safely survive the frosts and harsh winter climate. Don explains that It's crucial with many sensitive plants to bring them "in under cover before they need protection."
A "tender plant" is often one that originally hails from another climate, like the Mediterranean for instance, so it isn't naturally well suited to low temperatures, or very wet conditions. Writing on his website, Don explains that in his "garden this includes includes Bananas, salvias, citrus, pomegranates, olives, pelargoniums, succulents, fuchsias, eucomis and hedychium".
However, the expert notes that cannas and dahlias "can be left in situ until the first signs of frost damage have affected them." He explains that at this point these plants should be "cut back, dug up and bought indoors to check over before storing in old potting compost in a cool, dark place where they will stay alive but not grow over winter."
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If you have a greenhouse or lean-to, that's the perfect spot to keep your tender plants over winter, but if it isn't practical to move one of your plants, you can wrap it in horticultural fleece, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, who advise you can also use bracken, hessian, polystyrene or straw to wrap your plants.
However, if the weather forecasts promises that you are about to see an unseasonably warm or an extended period of mild temperatures, it is a good idea to remove the covers to stop your tender plants from sweating and getting damaged through rot.
Don also notes that October is the perfect time to "invest in horticultural fleece and cloches" - a type of mini greenhouse you can place over your tender plants, which are flexible because you can move them around depending on which plant is most in need. "If you do not already posses them, invest in horticultural fleece and some cloches," writes Don.
"The point is that these are only useful if you have and employ them before you need them and there is no guarantee that there will not be a hard frost in October. Cloches are very good for rows of vegetables, keeping them dry as well as warm (although I always leave the ends open – happy to trade some heat for some ventilation) and fleece is the best temporary protection against frost, either laid out over small plants or draped over shrubs and bushes."
Don also advises using October to take cuttings from your garden and collecting seeds from your perennial plants, which will "save yourself a fortune". He explains that storing your seeds in a paper bag is a must, and advises staying organised by labelling each bag "immediately" before storing them in a "cool dry place until ready for sowing."
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