A gardening expert has recommended that there are three major tasks you need to tackle in your outside space this October, to ensure great results next year in your garden
If you don’t have much spare time to garden this October, these are the three most important tasks to be getting on with. Anyone who is green-fingered knows that this time of year is one of the most crucial in our gardens, and an opportunity to set yourself up for success in your outside space next year.
If you are more of a novice when it comes to gardening, and are not sure exactly where to start then an expert has recommended that you tackle these three tasks before you do anything else, and whether you have a garden on the smaller side or are lucky enough to have a large green space – these tips and tricks will help you level up for spring ahead of the cold, winter months.
Gardening expert and content creator Pollyanna Wilkinson – who uses the handle @pollywilkinsongarden on TikTok, and boasts over 180,000 followers – explains that to start off with you should focus on some much-needed lawn care if you’re lucky enough to have a patch of turf.
The expert explains, “Now is a great time to aerate and scarify your lawn. What does that mean? Aerating literally means just putting air into the lawn. You do that by stabbing holes in it.” Polly adds there are a couple of ways you can approach this, first off by simply grabbing your garden fork and making holes throughout the turf. Another way is by wearing “jazzy aeration sandals, which have spikes on the bottom, or you can hire a machine.”
Polly went on to explain that “scarifying is scraping the surface of the lawn to remove thatch and moss, you can do this with a rake or you can use a machine.” However, don’t throw the moss you collect away, the expert warns, “Be sure to hold onto some of that moss that you gather, you can use it to top pots of bulbs in the festive season.”
Once the aerating and scarifying are done, Polly advises you to sow some lawn seed onto your turf, and “gather up any leaves on the lawn, put them into a jute bag or bin liner with holes in and put it somewhere you can forget about it.” This one will take some patience, but it is well worth the payoff, “In two years, you’re going to have amazing leaf mould for the borders,” which will be a powerful fertiliser and soil conditioner.
The second task you should be aiming to tackle this October is planting bulbs indoors that will be perfect during the Christmas period – amaryllis, a popular gift during the festive season with stunning red blooms, and paperwhites. “I would usually plant a few now, a few in a couple of weeks, and again in a couple of weeks more, just to make sure you get a succession of indoor plants throughout December and January.” Finally, the expert recommends that you move any evergreen shrubs in your garden this October. Polly explains this month is the “perfect” opportunity for this because “the soil is still warm and moist”.
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