HARVESTING

Gather to store or use fresh:

• Sprouts

• Leeks, (make sure you use the early varieties first, as they won’t stay in good condition once the weather deteriorates.)

• Autumn cauliflowers (as soon as they form a good head.)

• Maincrop potatoes (are best left in the ground as long as possible, until you are forced to dig them up owing to imminent frosts or very wet weather, which can cause semi-dormant spuds to start growing again or will attract an invasion of slugs.)

• Carrots and parsnips are much better left in the ground & dug up fresh when you want them, as the soil keeps them in much better condition. However, if it’s a very wet autumn, they’ll rot once conditions turn cold in which case, dig up and store by mid-November.

• If you have late-sown summer crops, such as peas, pak choi and lettuce, cover them with horticultural fleece, as the extra warmth will keep them growing a little longer.

• Continue to harvest those last tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, peppers, chilli-peppers.

•  And of course, harvest the great autumn vegetables of pumpkins and squashes.

Start to fall back in love again with old winter reliables such as chard and spinach. They will shortly become your very best friends.

Once the veg patch is cleared, carry out winter digging if necessary….. or learn about the ‘no-dig’ method. If however, you are going to cover empty beds with manure for the winter, the earlier you do it the better. October or early November is ideal.

SOW

Plant out spring cabbage, over-winter varieties of broad beans and grow overwintering onions sets, but only do so in well-drained soil.  

Also plant selected varieties of garlic towards the end of the month; they benefit from a good frost so it's traditional to plant before Christmas.

You can also sow over-wintering green manures such as mustard, rye grass or buckwheat.

HERBS

Pot up herbs for winter use.

FRUIT

Pick apples and pears for storing by mid-month however if the forecast mentions gales or storms, it’s best to go out and pick ASAP, as windfalls will be bruised and won’t store. 

Prune blackberries and hybrid berries.  This will keep them looking neat and tidy and also encourage growth next year.

If you want to plant a new strawberry bed, now is the time to do so. If you have an existing strawberry bed, it’s good idea to take out the oldest row of plants and replace with new ones; if you grew your own plants from runners this summer, they’ll be just right for planting now.