October in the garden

October in the gardenis the end of harvesting in our orchards and vegetable beds. We enjoy autumn flowers. WhenOctober is coming, autumn asters and chrysanthemums show their beauty in the garden .
October is a good time for new plantings of trees and shrubsWorth so think about what to change in the orchard. From October, cheap seedlings of fruit trees and shrubs from the so-called open root - not only fruit but also, for example, hedge ones.October in the gardenis the time to plan, plant, clean the beds after finished crops, fertilize the soil and prepare the garden for the coming winter.Plan the most importantgardening work in October !

October in the garden is the time of harvesting the last apples and pears
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October in the garden - what will it be like?

October can be a sunny month , with a large number of sunny days. The October sun does not heat up much anymore and sets early (just after 5 pm). The length of the day is still more than 11 hours, but during this month the day will shorten by about two hours. Evenings and nights can be very cold, whichis not conducive to long sitting in the gardenMorning frosts often occur. At the end of the month, autumn rains usually begin, sometimes with snowfall. We are reminded of the arrival of autumn by leaves that turn yellow, red and brown - a specific autumn color is created, giving, especially on sunny days, such a wonderful charm of golden Polish autumn.Unfortunately, soon the deciduous trees will be completely stripped of their leaves, and we will be able to look for some greenery only among the plantings of conifers. "

October in the orchard

• We are finishing the harvest of fruits from the garden - the last apples and pears, the late varieties of plums and the common quince. We collect large and well-grown fruits first, while the smaller ones can be left on trees a bit longer, remembering, however, to collect them before the onset of frost (ground frosts are not yet dangerous, apples and pears can withstand temperature drops to -3 ° C without damage).
• You can still harvest Hungarian plums until mid-October. If we cannot eat them all raw, it is worth drying them. We can do it in two days - first drying them in an oven at 60 ° C for one day, and then drying them at normal room temperature for another 1 day.

• Raw quince fruits are not very tasty.However, they can be used to prepare delicious quince preserves, e.g. the famous quince tincture. Remember that before any use of quince fruit, you should rub the felt cutter from the skin, which left it gives an unpleasant turpentine-like aftertaste.
• We review and sort the collected fruits. For storage, we only use he althy fruit, not wormy and with an undamaged skin. Store the fruit in a cool and not too dry room (if it is too dry, the peel of the fruit may wrinkle).

• Browse tree crowns, remove plant parts infected with diseases and dried fruit (the so-called mummies), which must be removed or buried deeply so that they do not become a source of infection next year. We also remove fallen fruit from trees that are beginning to rot.
• We take off and remove the bands and sticky traps for which we caught pests.
• The fruit tree cancer fungus causes tuber-shaped growths to form on affected branches.After the fruit is harvested, we must cut the diseased branches. We cut in he althy places, 15 cm away from the cancerous site. Coat the wounds with a balm that accelerates healing.
• If reddish blisters appear on the dead branches, the size of a pinhead, it means that the plant has been attacked by a fungal disease - red lumpiness. Cut the infested branches and remove them from the garden.
• The perfect time has come to apply organic fertilizers in the orchard. Spread manure or compost between trees and shrubs. You can use nitrogen-free autumn fertilizers from mineral fertilizers. If the latter are also to be of natural origin, bas alt flour is recommended. Similarly to organic fertilizers - we spread it between plants and then cover it shallowly with soil or hatch in it. Mixing the fertilizers with the soil will be easier with the rotary tiller.

• October is a good time in the garden to plant fruit trees and shrubs, especially those with open roots.Container trees are easier to get hold of and can, in principle, be planted throughout the growing season, but are much more expensive. That is why most fruit plants are offered from the so-called exposed root. Plants can be planted until the ground freezes. Fruit trees are planted so deep that the point of budding of the fruit tree is 5 - 10 cm above the ground, while the gooseberry and currant bushes are planted 5 to 7 cm deeper, and raspberries and blueberries 2 - 3 cm deeper than they grew in the nursery. After planting, water them abundantly and cover them with mounds that protect the root collar against temperature drops. Planted trees should not be trimmed - we will do it only in spring.
• If in summer you harvested apricot, cherry, cherry, plum or peach seeds (the latter only from late varieties), now you can put them in a pot with slightly damp sand. In this way, they should be stored until December, when you will need to bury them shallowly in the garden soil and protect them from frost by covering them with leaves or needles.When winter is over, in March, we sow them into the ground. The seedlings obtained in this way can be used as rootstocks or even as fruiting trees (however, you will have to wait a few years for the first fruits).
• It is a good idea to remove the weeds one last time around trees and shrubs. Thanks to this, we will delay their appearance in the spring. We will also limit the existence of rodents, which may establish winter hiding places in places overgrown with weeds.
• If there was apple scab in your orchard, spray it with 5% urea solution. Autumn spraying of fruit trees with urea accelerates decomposition of leaves together with the wintering surroundings of the apple scab fungus.

Onions and garlic intended for storage are hung in braids in a dry place, e.g. in the attic.

October in the vegetable garden

• We collect late cabbage and carrot varieties that are suitable for storage, as well as radishes, radishes and turnips from aftercrop sowing.
• Late cabbage varieties, harvested in October, not only keep well but are also excellent material for silage. We recommend pickling cabbage at home, thanks to which we get natural silage without artificial additives. You do not need barrels for this, ordinary jars are enough. Before pickling, cabbage should be placed in a dark place for 3-4 days, at a temperature of up to 17 ° C. As a result, sulfur compounds and chlorophyll will disappear, which will eliminate the unpleasant smell of cabbage and the subsequent bitter aftertaste of the silage.
• We also collect broccoli and cauliflower - harvested in October, they are of good quality.
• We can harvest spinach from summer sowing until the middle of the month. We also collect cauliflowers and kohlrabi planted in July. Late kohlrabi varieties are suitable for storage.
• The endive leaves should be whitened 8 to 10 days before harvest to make them softer and less bitter. As part of this procedure, the leaves are fastened with a tape or an elastic band and then wrapped around the leaves in order to cut off the flow of light to the inner leaves.It is important to do this when the leaves are dry, otherwise the endive will rot quickly. We can also cover the plants with plates or buckets. In order not to cause decay, we gradually whiten as many plants as we are going to collect.
• Before the cold weather sets in, we must collect all the developed tomato fruits and place them in a warm room where they will ripen (no light is necessary). Unripe green tomatoes can also be used to make preserves that are interesting in taste.

• The root vegetables and radish intended for storage should be placed in the cellar, where they will be provided with adequate air humidity. On the other hand, onions and garlic are better stored in the attic, where it is drier.
• We clean up the remains of leaves and stems and use them for the production of compost. Wilted parts of plants can also be left buried in the soil - they will fertilize our soil in a similar way, and this is a less labor-intensive method.However, be careful not to leave the remains of root weeds and diseased plants in the ground!
• Remember that it is currently forbidden to smoke leaves and branches on the plot, both in ROD gardens and on private properties. This also applies to parts of plants affected by diseases. All remains of our plants are subject to the obligation to segregate and collect waste.

• We dig the soil in flower beds and beds, feed it with manure or compost. We can also apply fertilization with mineral fertilizers.
• At the beginning of the month, a winter spring onion can be planted (recommended spacing is 25x6 cm and a depth of about 5 cm). Cover the onion with a fleece at the end of November - it will protect it from frost.
• It's time to plant some herbs. Mature plants should be dug up and transplanted into pots for the winter.
• We plant onion vegetables, and under covers, winter lettuces and oriental cabbage.
• We remove fallen leaves of evergreen herbs. Protect delicate species against frost.
• Dig out vegetables intended for forcing. We protect perennial root vegetables that grow in the ground.

October in the garden is the time of cleaning leaves that have fallen from trees.
They should also be removed from the surface of the pond, because rotting
deteriorate water quality and endanger fish.

October in the ornamental garden

• Seeds of some annual species, such as cornflower, marigold, larkspur or sea larkspur, can be sown in autumn and thus accelerate their spring vegetation - they will rise as soon as the weather permits.
• Leaf rosettes of biennial plants, such as mallow, bluebells, foxgloves and pansies, are exposed to drying winds in winter, so it is worth watering them well in the fall, and after the first frosts cover them with conifers, dry leaves or agrotextile.
• We can still plant flowering bulbs in spring, but we have to do it when the ground is not frozen.
• Bulbs of plants such as arisema, eukomis, vermilion, g altonia, kamassia, sternbergia, can winter in the ground, in positions covered with dry leaves, straw or spruce branches.
• We dig out bulbs, tubers and rhizomes of species that do not winter in the ground, i.e. dahlias, gladiolus, tigers, sprekelies, freesias, tritons, weltheims, as well as alpine violets and pebbles. We do this when the first frosts blot the leaves of the plants. Cut off dead shoots 10 cm above the carp and take the carp out of the ground. We do it gently so as not to damage delicate tissues. Dry the carps for a few days in a ventilated place, then place them in boxes, sprinkle them with bark, peat or sawdust and place them in a dry room, not exposed to frost.

• We plant ornamental trees and shrubs.Plants in containers can be planted without fear. If we have bought plants with bare (exposed) roots, we should inspect the roots of the plants and trim their damaged parts. After planting the plant, water it abundantly. We should also remember that in the case of deciduous plants, it is best to plant trees and shrubs in autumn when the leaves have fallen but the ground is not yet frozen.
• Before planting the plants, mix the soil at the depth with the root ball with Hydrogel. This is called soil water absorbent. Adding Hydrogel to the soil will allow you to save up to 70% of watering water next year! Hydrogel maintains moisture around the roots and prevents the plants from drying out. Not only during the summer drought! Evergreen plants also need water in winter. I often hear opinions that during the winter the thuja hedge fell into a dream. It is rather impossible in our climate. It is more likely that the plants have withered due to the lack of water in the soil. Fortunately, with HydroGel, they are not in danger.
• Shrubs sensitive to frost (roses, hydrangeas, clematis) should be covered with soil or bark at their base to a height of 20-40 cm (the so-called mounding). Even if the branches freeze, the plant will bounce from the lower covered parts in the spring.
• Cut the cuttings from the lignified parts of the shoots. Prepared seedlings of roses and other deciduous shrubs are placed in a box with sand and stored until spring in a cool room.
• We continue to reproduce perennials - cuttings from the apical parts of the shoots will still have time to root well before the onset of winter.
• Perennials can also be exaggerated. The purchased plants should not be placed directly on the ground - a makeshift hole should be dug and the plant roots should be covered with soil. In this way, we will protect the roots from the harmful effects of the sun and wind. When planting plants, dig a larger hole so that the roots rest loosely in it. We cover them with earth and pour plenty of water over them. When the water is soaked in, pour the rest of the soil down and walk on it.
• From October 16 to the end of February, i.e. outside the nesting season, nest boxes for birds can be cleaned. It is worth doing it right away in the fall and not waiting until February, because some birds start looking for nesting places a bit faster. The nest box cleaned in autumn will also be a safe shelter for wintering birds. On the other hand, you should not rush too much to clean the nest box. Remember that cleaning of nesting boxes before October 16 is forbidden by law and you may be fined for it.
• You also need to properly prepare the pond for winter - first of all, we clean all water plants from drying out inflorescences and leaves. We remove all contaminants blown by the wind from the surface of the reservoir, so that they do not fall to the bottom and rot (this way we prevent water deterioration and threats to fish he alth). The leaves falling from the trees will help to catch the mesh for the pond, stretched over the water surface.
• Vacuum cleaners for ponds are helpful in sucking up silt and organic pollutants from the bottom. These pollutants consume significant amounts of oxygen in the decomposition process, which can lead to the death of fish in the winter.
• Before the first frosts occur, exotic species of aquatic plants, such as melon, water hyacinth and salvinia, should be moved to a warm room. Place these plants in an aquarium or other container with water, providing them with good lighting (aquarium fluorescent or energy-saving lamps can be used).

Flowers in the house, balconies and terraces in October

• We reduce watering of indoor plants more and more. We water some plants twice or only once a week, others even less often.
• We also limit watering plants growing in containers on balconies and terraces. The period of winter dormancy is coming and the plants' need for water is decreasing.However, let's not forget about watering evergreen shrubs. Their green parts, leaves or needles need water all year round.
• Remember to protect the plants before the onset of frost, e.g. by covering the containers with agrotextile or polystyrene.
• If frosts have already occurred, at the end of October, dig out tuberous begonias from the boxes on the balcony and take them to a frost-protected room, e.g. a garage or a basement. We overwinter begonias in boxes, covered with peat or sand, at 5-10 ° C. If the temperatures are still positive, we are waiting with this action until November.
• At the beginning of the month, we start driving the hyacinths and tulips. Thanks to this, the plants should bloom around Christmas.

Plants on balconies and terraces must be secured before frost.
Remember that some exotic plants cannot winter on the terrace
and they need to be moved to the rooms.

Lawn in October

• We regularly clean the lawn covered with leaves falling from the trees. We rake it and mow it for the last time in the second half of the month - taller grass will rot more easily under the snow.
• On larger surfaces, cleaning leaves will significantly speed up the use of machines such as garden vacuum cleaners.
• Take the mower apart and clean, then oil it well, fold it and put it in a dry place for the winter

How to plan work in the garden?

If you want to prepare as best as possible for gardening work for a given month and be sure that you will never miss anything important that needs to be done in the garden again, use the resourceful gardener's planner calendar book. It is a practical gardening guide with a gardening calendar for the whole year and a place for your own notes. More information in the description on our store's website: -)