Gardening Jobs For October
Top gardening jobs this month
Lawns made easy
Step 1. Rake up fallen leaves
Rake up leaves that have fallen on the lawn as they can block out light and air and kill off healthy grass. You can then use the leaves on your compost heap, or place them in old compost bags with holes poked in them and leave over the winter to make leaf mould.
Fallen leaved on beds and borders are fine to leave, but make sure to collect leaves from paths and hard surfaces as they can become slippery.
Step 2. Sow a new lawn
New lawns from seed germinate brilliantly in autumn when the soil is warm and moist, giving roots time to establish ahead of winter. Before sowing, dig soil over, remove weeds, roots and stones, firm down carefully and rake the soil level. Sow grass seed evenly at a rate of around 30g per square metre then lightly rake the soil over, so most of the seeds are covered. Water well and ensure the soil remains moist while seeds germinate and establish.
Easy planting
Step 1. Plant spring flowering bulbs
Find a suitable container and mix 3 parts John Innes No.2 with one part horticultural grit.
Step 2. Check over your bulbs
Discard any soft mouldy or rotten bulbs. Plant at 3 x their depth and at 1 bulb-width apart. Water them and leave them until they start to actively grow. Promote flowering for the following year by feeding with a liquid fertiliser such as a tomato feed. Do this as soon as they start to grow and continue until the leaves die down at the end of the season.
Step 3. Plant Roses and shrubs
October is a good time to plant roses and shrubs in beds and borders when the soil is warm and moist. If the weather is dry then they still need to be watered.
Feed the birds
Step 1: Bird Care
Care for garden birds all year round but particularly during winter when food is scarce.
Step 2. Bird Food
Putting out high fat content bird food such as fat balls will help them through the winter.
Step 3. Keep water fresh
All birds need to drink. They also need water to help keep their feathers in good condition.
Bird baths are the easiest option. Size doesn’t matter but a shallow dish shape should be used.