10 Jobs for October

The cold weather has started to set in. It’s misty in the mornings and usually cold and damp until the sun breaks through. October is a time for harvest and tidying up. Don’t be too neat though – why not leave the odd Sunflower head for the birds. They’ll appreciate it.

  1. Bring in the last vegetables for storage before the frosts. These include: Onions, Apples, Potatoes and Carrots
  2. Sow some more green manure in empty ground
  3. Plant more Tulip bulbs for next Spring
  4. Sow some winter Lettuce, such as Arctic King, in the greenhouse or coldframe
  5. Leave some Runner Beans and French Beans on the plant to dry so that you can collect the seed
  6. Plant Garlic and Spring Cabbage
  7. Sow outdoor Broadbeans and Peas now for a crop in early Spring
  8. Feed Brussels Sprouts and Winter Cabbage now to encourage them on in time for Christmas
  9. Pot up some Parsley, Chives and Mint to use over the winter – dig up and discard annuals such as Coriander and Dill
  10. Tidy up your Strawberry patch by removing any yellow leaves and the last runners

If you have any more suggestions for October jobs, add them to the list.

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6 Comments on “10 Jobs for October”

  1. Great list (I need to get my strawberry patch cleaned up).

    I also clean out all the beds, add compost on most and straw on the ones with plants being wintered over (spinach & strawberies).

    Some additional things on my list:

    make new lasagne bed in side yard
    clean all pots and store in garage
    clean all seed starting supplies for early spring starting
    rake, rake and rake again (we live in the woods)
    weed & mulch flowerbeds 1 final time

  2. Hi MTP
    Just wanted to thank you as a source of knowledge and inspiration! I have been running a school gardening club for 3 years now and checking in with your blog on a regular basis for ideas.
    It got me thinking that our own blog would be a great thing for us to do as a way of tracking what we are doing in the club each week and letting other schools know too.
    So a few weeks in and thanks to your great tutorials, we are up and running and even had a first enquiry from another school.
    You can check us out…http://www.littlegreenfingers.org.uk/
    Thanks MTP!
    LGF xx

  3. 1 Clean out the cold frame for next years spring seeds

    2 Have a bonfire at dusk with the perennial weeds that have been drying all summer

    3 Use a spoilt or undersized pumpkin to make a scarecrow head for the winter

  4. I hope you manage to get through your list of things to do. I keep forgetting to make a list!

  5. I’ve made a list this year as well and planting peas in narrow long planters was topping it. I ended up throwing the seeds in the huge pot that accommodates my MULBERRY bush. They’ve sported and I’m hopping the vines to creep and cover the bush and maybe fix some nitrogen for the MULBERRY to fruit well next spring.

  6. Some great ideas there – sorry I’m late – only just discovered your blog! I’ve just managed to persuade my father to help me write a gardening blog too. He has over 50 years of horticultural experience and he’s offered some advice for gardeners in November :) Keep up the great work and really love your domain name btw! I think I’ve lost the plot – 2:30am – had better sleep :p