The green-fingered expert has shared his top tasks for gardeners in October – and one of them will help protect an array of little animals as they prepare for the winter months
Autumn is here and it’s time for budding gardeners to start to make preparations for the colder months.
Our favourite green-fingered expert Monty Don has shared his must-do list of jobs for October – and one of them will prove especially beneficial for hedgehogs and other little mammals.
By his own admission, Monty is “obsessive” about leafmould. “Every fallen leaf is potential leafmould and leafmould which, unlike compost, takes no turning, mixing or knowledge to make, is garden gold,” he writes in his blog.
“So I am obsessive about making leafmould, gathering as many of the fallen leaves as possible, mowing them to chop them up and then stacking them in a big open heap so they can break down into a lovely rich, crumbly texture and become an essential component of our home-made potting compost.”
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But, the expert crucially also leaves piles of leaves under trees or bushes in his garden to help provide winter cover for hedgehogs, frogs, small animals and insects, along with stacks of logs and piles of prunings – “all of which gives essential winter protection for these small creatures that contribute so much to the garden’s health”.
Monty’s other tips for October include bringing render plants in under cover before they need protection from the cold, and to keep deadheading – particularly equatorial plants like dahlias, which will extend their flowering season and bring out a last bloom.
The gardener also has some money-saving advice for others. He suggests collecting seeds from perennial plants for use next season, noting they should be placed in paper (not polythene) bags, and stored in a cool, dry place until ready for sowing.
It’s also not too late to take cuttings, and gardeners should keep cutting the grass for as long as it keeps growing – although it is better to have the grass too long than too short over the winter months.
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Climbing roses are now ready to be pruned, while now is the perfect time to sow sweet peas.
By sowing sweet peas in October you will have bigger plants with a stronger root system that should give flowers next spring earlier and last longer. But the young plants will need storing and some protection over winter if the weather is bad.
Monty advises sowing some now and another batch in February to help spread the risk. He puts three seeds in a three inch pot and uses a good potting rather than seed compost.
They are then put to germinate on a windowsill or greenhouse and once the first leaves have grown, are placed outside in a cold frame or protected spot. They only need protection from hard frosts, mice, and becoming sodden, so do not provide any extra heat, and they will be ready to plant out in April.